A dad hasn’t been able to speak to his wife for three years after he lost his voice suddenly while eating a steak dinner.
Dan Chadwick, 47, was eating dinner at home with his wife Michelle Johnson-Chadwick, 48, when he was unable to get his words out.
Thinking the dad-of-one was having a stroke, Michelle called an ambulance and after six days Dan was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND) – a problem with how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body.
Doctors believe this was brought on by stress.
Three years on he still can’t make a sound and the couple have had to find a new way to communicate.
They use their own signals and an app, called Speech Assist, which speaks aloud for Dan when he types in a message.
Man thought ‘my time is up’ after suddenly losing ability to speak
Michelle, a butcher from Clitheroe, Lancashire, said: “We were eating together and he turned to me to say something, but he just couldn’t get any words out.
“I knew there was something really wrong, I just panicked.
“He looked so frightened.
“He’s a big strong man, it’s very unusual to see him look like that.
“It was really hard seeing him look so vulnerable.”
Dan, speaking using his communication tool, said: “When I suddenly lost my speech, I was in a blind panic.
“The words were floating around my head, I could hear them and knew the sound they required, but the actions and sound weren’t happening.
“I was confused and frightened.
“Speech is something we take for granted, and as a 19 stone man, this was something I have never faced.
“Fear doesn’t phase me, but this was something I was completely unprepared for.
“When the emergency services came rushing through the door, my world collapsed. I was thinking my time is up.”
Groundsman’s headaches were initially blamed on long Covid
Groundsman Dan had started getting bad headaches every few days in February 2023 – but doctors had put it down to long Covid.
Dan was already taking medication for chest pains after being diagnosed with a partially blocked artery in 2015.
On February 11, the couple were tucking into a ribeye steak dinner when Dan suddenly couldn’t speak.
He was rushed to Royal Blackburn Hospital where tests, including a CAT scan speech and walking tests, eliminated other possible causes for his diagnosis.
Dan, who spoke to Talk to the Press, said: “The diagnosis of FND was something I didn’t believe and didn’t expect.
“Nobody explained what it was fully.
“They were just telling me to relax and this will go away and you’ll be talking again soon.”
Three months later, in May 2023, Dan had a heart attack after his wife found him sweating profusely, and clutching his chest.
Michelle called an ambulance and Dan was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital, before being transferred to Blackpool Hospital the next morning.
Couple created their own sign language after man lost speech
Doctors said an artery in Dan’s heart was 100% blocked and he was in heart failure and he was given a stent.
The couple have had to find a new way to communicate.
They have developed their own signals as well as conventional sign language, like Dan blowing a kiss to say ‘I love you’.
Michelle said Dan often embarrasses her by using the speech assist app to speak aloud in public spaces with comments such as ‘this is very boring’.
Michelle said: “No one can work out where the voice is coming from and I’m going really red while Dan’s just laughing and laughing.
“He’s diabetic, and he tells me he needs medication by doing a snorting action on the back of his hand, like taking cocaine, which we’ve never done, it just gives us a giggle.
“Last thing every night we used to say ‘I love you’, now he blows me a kiss.
“There’s a lot of love between us. I absolutely adore him.”
Wife says she misses the sound of husband’s voice after sudden illness
Dan carries a keyring with laminated phrases such as ‘my wife’s name is Michelle’, and, ‘I can’t talk’.
Since losing his speech Dan now draws, which he couldn’t do before, and his handwriting is very neat but was messy before, Michelle said.
But things are not always easy or funny.
Dan finds social situations difficult and feels he’s always 50 seconds behind the conversation.
He uses all the same shops now where staff know about his condition and give him the time he needs to type out his words.
Michelle said: “I really miss the sound of his voice, and getting phone calls from him.
“And I miss simple day-to-day communications like when you go upstairs and shout to the other person about something.
“There’s no pillow talk, and I loved the sound of his voice.”
Dan used to go to the gym in the mornings, and would run 12 miles in an evening, but can’t walk the length of a football pitch easily now.
He now uses a tractor mower at work, and spends more time fixing machinery than heavy outdoors work.
Dan says wife helped him through challenges that ‘could have broken’ them
Michelle said: “Dan has a blue badge but looks fit and young so gets frowned at and mean comments all the time.
“I think the loss of speech was a precursor to the heart attack.
“I’d love to find a private neurologist who could do a detailed scan.
“Dan is amazing.
“I’m really proud of him.
“He’s just carried on.
“A lot of people in this situation would just sit at home.”
Dan said: “I couldn’t imagine dealing with life without Lell by my side.
“We were suddenly facing a situation that could have broken apart a marriage.
“She has delt with situations and problems that would have tested the greatest minds.
“I am so glad for the love we share for each other on this long journey that keeps finding new ways to test us.”
