Tony Romaine

I mean, at first I couldn't move hardly at all. I mean, it seemed pretty obvious I wouldn't play guitar again. Now I can move a lot better, but my left arm is still, well, pretty much useless. But things have come on a lot and I hope they continue to.

I never really think that I didn't think I would, if that makes sense. Just even when I was lying in the ICU, I couldn't move. I was still thinking about when I get better, I'm going to do this. I remember one of the people in the ICU, one of the nurses saying it'd take months or possibly years for me to recover enough to just get home. And in my mind, that just said things will get better.

So that was it. I had no doubt at all that I wouldn't play music. I really just couldn't imagine life without it.

Yes, it was. And I think at the time as well, because of the brain injury, my emotions were all over the place. And not even my emotions, just my...

reactions to things I would start crying for no reason even when I wasn't sad or I would start laughing just at anything at all for no reason quite often quite inappropriate moments but when I realised everything I had to do it was hard to think about but I wasn't gonna let anything get in the way

First of all, I laid it on a bench in front of me and I tried to use one hand to do it. That didn't work. But I just kept trying everything I could. Eventually, I've got it sat in my wheelchair, so it's supported by the armrests. And I'll basically use, obviously, just the one hand. I'll use a couple of fingers to press down on the strings...

and the other two fingers I'll use to pluck or strum the strings.

It made me very sad but very happy at the same time. It was just things I couldn't do which I used to be able to do and then things I could do which I never thought I would be able to do at the same point.

I think it's just given me a focus. I mean, apart from family, obviously. It's the one thing in life that I really love, and I just can't imagine giving up.

It felt really good. It was almost like feeling like myself again, if that makes sense.

Keep the noise down. LAUGHTER No, they've been very supportive.

Definitely. Well, I want to raise awareness for stroke. I would love to help encourage other people to keep on going and show them what can be done. Don't give up. Even if things seem almost impossible, we can do it. We can do anything we want. If it's something not important to you, just go. Don't stop until you get somewhere you want to be. And even then, don't stop.

I'm Alex Ritson and in this edition... Even if things seem almost impossible, we can do it. We can do anything we want. If it's something that important to you, just go. Don't stop until you get somewhere you want to be.