TV Scope: Having met at age 16, Julie Green and her husband Colin, married five years later. Twenty five years on, and in their mid forties, they had four daughters, two homes, two cars and all the trimmings associated with a middle-class lifestyle.
But one night their lives changed forever. Colin, at the age of 46 suffered a stroke, leaving him with a paralysis on his right-side and severe speech problems. This hour-long programme told how he, Julie and their family coped with the changes brought about by this event. Video footage of holidays over the years showed a family who enjoyed spending time together. Colin was occasionally seen on camera, but most of the time acted as film-maker, reflecting his day job as a successful film editor. These vignettes of their past lives were interspersed with Julie's and the girls video diaries and shots of Colin at various stages along the road of rehabilitation.
Although the paralysis resolved somewhat, Colin left hospital eight months later using a leg brace and cane. He regained limited use of his right arm but it was his speech difficulties that impacted most on his life and those around him.
Suffering from a condition called expressive aphasia he retained the ability to understand spoken language but was unable to convert his thoughts and ideas into words. In addition he was unable to read or write, further hampering communication with those around him. Sometimes it was difficult, at others impossible.
Julie and Colin have four daughters ranging in age from 12 to 20. Throughout the programme they contributed, sharing with us their feelings of fear, as well as hopes and visions of what the future may hold. Their lives had changed immeasurably in the space of a night - a frightening prospect for an adult, but much more so for a child.
Having experienced a similar event when I was around the same age as Rachael, the youngest daughter, my memories are of a time of great uncertainty and fear. Back in the late 1960s, it was not considered wise to keep children in the information loop.
This approach was considered best in an effort to shield them from the harsh realities of the situation. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect and reinforced feelings of vulnerability and anxiety. I was glad to see Julie took a more open approach, keeping all members of the family informed and involved. Colin's efforts to communicate was often akin to some bizarre guessing game. With only four words in his vocabulary it often took hours to determine what he was trying to say. The frustration in his face was obvious but he rarely displayed anger.
Prior to his stroke the couple had planned to go to Venice to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Eight months after his unexpected illness, and despite the physical problems they would face with travel, we saw them realise their dream of celebrating their years together in Italy.
Despite the changes, both physical and emotional in Colin, Julie and her daughters retained an ability to accept him as before. He was not excluded from their day-to-day lives and even major decisions such as the sale of their holiday flat in Cornwall was discussed and agreed with Colin before the decision was implemented.
"Wanting things to go back to how they were stops you from going forward," aptly sums up this resilient woman's attitude.