Singer Lira is excited to be able to speak again after she suffered a stroke 14 months ago.
Lira, whose real name is Lerato Moipone Molapo, had the stroke while she was in Frankfurt, Germany for a show, which she had to cancel.
She had that afternoon been sightseeing, when at 4.15pm she experienced the stroke, noting that the sensation lasted for 15 minutes.
In a recent interview with radio personality Relebogile Mabotja on 702, the 44-year-old said she was excited because she was now able to speak again.
Lira revealed that six months after the stroke, she was diagnosed with a language disorder called aphasia – which affects how you communicate. It can affect your speech and the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.
The Ngiyazifela hitmaker shared that she has, however, made much progress over the last 14 months.
“I get surprised by how much progress I am making and today is a good day. People have been asking me to share my story and I was not ready to tell my story, my speech impediment doesn’t bother me,” said Lira.
Lira said she was shocked when she was told she had suffered a stroke and being alone at the time was emotionally overwhelming.
“I was not worried about the band and everything and was by myself. I cried all day going through all this, but the doctors told me that I could regain my speech. They were kind to me and I had a whole bunch of doctors investigating my case,” she said.
She said she knew the road to recovery would be hard, where she had to learn the alphabet to put words together and learn to speak and write like a child. The doctors, however, gave her reassurance that she would be able to speak again.
See the full interview below:
Also Read: Lira opens up about suffering severe stroke in Germany
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