Christian Riddersma had a very severe stroke at the age of 39. Almost exactly 5 years later, I meet Mr Riddersma at the Park Hotel Vitznau with his family. Before the interview, I was able to talk to our neurologist Dr Leopold Zizlsperger. He treated Christian during his inpatient rehabilitation at cereneo at the beginning of 2019. “Mr Riddersma is an exceptional case. I’ve never seen a rehabilitation success like this before and I’m not aware of any in German-speaking countries,” says Dr Zizlsperger.

Diagnosis and inpatient rehabilitation

Christian Riddersma was initially paralysed completely on the right side and had global aphasia. Global aphasia is the most severe form of aphasia. Comprehension and production of speech are severely impaired. Global aphasia sufferers often only speak single words. Language comprehension is limited, so that often only a few words can be understood or are derived from the respective situation.

Mr Riddersma, you had global aphasia, the worst form of aphasia. I can’t even imagine that. How did that feel for you?

My brain worked perfectly well. I always knew which words I wanted to say, but I couldn’t formulate them, nothing happened.

When you started your therapy at cereneo in January 2019, what were your expectations?

The functions of my right hand had to develop again and, above all, I wanted to regain my speech. My right leg was already at 80% functionality at the start of my rehabilitation stay, so I was already able to walk well again. Today I am at 99%. The focus at cereneo was clearly on speech therapy.

What progress were you able to make during your stay?

Due to the stroke, I had a severe swelling in my head, which decreased significantly during rehabilitation and I was able to answer simple questions with 2-3 word sentences. My speech therapist at cereneo, Karl-Heinz Beck, and I worked very hard in many therapy sessions. It was very intensive and exhausting, sometimes frustrating because I knew in my head what I wanted to say but just couldn’t formulate the correct words. Thanks to the many speech therapy sessions, I was able to articulate simple words again very quickly.

I am absolutely happy that I can almost speak normally again.

After returning home, how independent were you? What were you able to do well on your own? Did you need any help?

At that point I was able to do a lot on my own. I didn’t need any help.

How did you continue your rehabilitation at home and what did your everyday life look like after your return?

I also had a lot of therapy every day at home. I continued various therapies online with cereneo, especially speech therapy. In total, I probably had about 20 hours of therapy per week.

What does your everyday life look like today? Are you able to work again?

I work about 5 hours a week and still go to speech therapy regularly.

In addition to therapy and work, I really enjoy looking after our home, working a lot in the garden and spending time with our son, who now goes to kindergarten. We get up together at 6am. Until the little man has to leave at 7.30 am, the time passes quickly with getting dressed, making breakfast and brushing teeth.

As I’m driving again, I can do all these things independently. I’m so pleased with the progress I’ve made. However, I still often struggle with talking.

What has helped you the most to get to where you are today?

Working in the house and garden has helped me a lot and being back in a working environment is a good feeling. Our son also keeps me going. Even though a lot of things are still very exhausting at times, I can see the progress I’ve made and I’m very motivated because I want to be able to do everything again. Of course, there are also days when I find it harder, but then I pick myself up because I know that I have to keep at it to continue making progress.

At the end of our conversation, Christian Riddersma’s partner joins us and says, “It’s incredible to see the progress Christian has made and where we are today with our little family. The therapies with cereneo have helped Christian a lot. In my opinion, cereneo is the best clinic in the world when it comes to stroke rehabilitation!”

It’s great to see how satisfied Mr Riddersma is. We sincerely wish him continued success and good health – also for his family.

Find out more on possible options for online therapy.