'A stroke left me completely speechless, unless I was singing Tina Turner lyrics'

A 24 year-old survivor was able to sing before she could speak, when during her recovery she still could not recognise her mum. And Summer Clarke's experience is not unique as the Stroke Association reveal how 35 per cent of survivors can sing better than utter words in the weeks after being struck down by the life-changing condition.

Ms Clarke, now 26 of Denton, Greater , was given a 10 per cent to live with her family saying their last 'goodbyes' after she suffered the spontaneous brain haemorrhage. Luckily she survived thanks to an induced coma, but had severe complications including needing to read and walk again - and despite being unable to recognise family or speak she was able to sing her favourite songs word for word.

A new survey of 1,000 survivors, to mark Stroke Awareness Month in May, found 33 per cent lost the ability to speak after being struck ill while 26 per cent said they could sing or hum before they could talk at all.

Music helped 61 per cent improve their communication skills after their stroke, with 51 per cent said it helped their memory - prompting a new campaign by the called Sing4Stroke.

Ms Clarke explained how two years ago she was enjoying an afternoon with friends when suffering severe pains in her head, hospital tests found she had a brain haemorrhage and was placed on life support.

Her mother Linda Clarke said: "The doctors did a draining procedure but the pressure on her brain was immense. I was told that she might have 48 hours to live and we should maybe say our goodbyes.

"She was given a 10 per cent chance of survival - it was terrifying."

But two weeks after being put in an induced coma, Ms Clarke started to move a little finger, she was taken out of a coma and started to breathe again on her own.

But this was just the start of her nine-month stint in hospital as Ms Clarke needed to learn to read and walk again, admitting: "It was like being a baby again, I had to learn everything from scratch."

During the recovery process, it was found Ms Clarke could sing her favourite songs before she could perform many other tasks.

Linda added: "Summer suffered with so many cognitive problems but singing just came naturally to her.

"She could sing to music when she came out of the coma. She would start by miming songs and then she could sing anything on her playlist."

She said her daughter's favourite song during recovery was Tina Turner's version of the Creedance Clearwater Revival hit 'Proud Mary'.

Ms Clarke, who worked as cabin crew for before her stroke, added: "Anything we played I remembered the lyrics to, even if I didn't recognise my own mum, it was all very strange."

Her mum went on: "Even when Summer was in the coma I was playing her favourite music, I really think it helped in her recovery and her dad Keith, fiancé Lewis and sister Courtney were all by her side too!

"The therapist said they were amazed by her progress and resilience which was all down to Summer's attitude."

In the UK, 100,000 people have strokes each year and a third of stroke survivors have aphasia, a language and communication disability, which leaves people struggling to speak, read, write or understand language.

Research has shown that singing after stroke can enhance communication and spoken language for people with aphasia.

Professor Mark Tarrant, who led the singing stroke study at the University of Exeter, said: "Singing-based rehabilitation may have positive effects on both social confidence and wellbeing, providing social and emotional support for people with aphasia and their loved ones."

for two years, calling for a better rollout of new treatments and wider access to aftercare.

One exciting new technology being trialled on the NHS is prehospital video triage (PVT) which could transform stroke care and boost survival rates of the UK's fourth leading cause of death.

on the road with hospital-based stroke specialists via a video call to assess a patient's condition and collectively diagnose stroke.

This information helps teams decide which hospital a patient should be taken to should they need specialist stroke care.

Tests to confirm stroke, including CT or MRI scans, can then be prepared for arrival as well as timely treatment and care in a stroke unit.

Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association, said: "There are now over 1.4 million stroke survivors in the UK, and this number is growing.

"The impact of a stroke can be completely life-altering. We believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke but to do this, we need your support.

"Singing can be a powerful tool in stroke recovery for those who experience communication difficulties.

"Because music and singing are processed in a different part of the brain to spoken language, some people with communication problems find that they can sing easily, even though speaking is difficult.

"Now we need singers to show their support to stroke survivors and their families. If you're part of a choir or singing group, you could dedicate a song to stroke survivors and donate some of the proceeds.

"Children at school could vote for a song to prepare and come together to sing at a special assembly for Stroke Awareness Month."

* To sign up to Sing4Stroke visit -