Filipe Falé is a musician from Portugal, currently based in London. He’s the bass player in a band called Pulmonic, and in July 2016 he suffered a stroke at just 36 years old.
The stroke happened during a performance in Portugal, one in which Filipe had taken the place of his brother as vocalist for his band My Master The Sun. Filipe has explained that he felt himself strain his voice that night, he heard a ringing in his right ear, and it’s thought that this may have caused the artery in his neck to tear internally (what we call a carotid dissection). The effects of the stroke came the following afternoon. Filipe found himself suddenly unable to speak, unable to write, and his right hand side had become partially paralysed.
My recovery has been very good, considering that initially I could barely speak or name objects as simple as a chair or a glass. I couldn’t hold a spoon with my right hand, which for a bass player can be quite desperate…
Filipe still suffers from Aphasia – a disturbance in the formulation and understanding of language. His hand is much better, and fortunately he can still play bass guitar, despite what happened, but not to the same ability as before. However, out of this darkness, Filipe has created something wonderful – The Mind Mending Project. His aim is to create a documentary about his experience, to help raise awareness, to reach out and connect with other young stroke sufferers, as well as to express the incredible ways in which music has helped him throughout his own recovery.
Not all is doom and gloom. The old me is gone, but I’m in a process of rediscovering myself again. I’m scared but I’m also excited because every day brings new challenges and a new motivation. I’m full of positive thoughts and I would like to share my story and show others how I’m becoming alive again! I’m making a movie to tell the story about my recovery through the music I love. Music has put me like this, it’s got to get me out!
I am looking to raise £15,000. If it reaches that it will be spent on the movie. If donations continue to come afterwards, half will go to the Stroke Association, to Aphasia Reconnect, and to the amazing people at Faro Hospital. I’ve always wanted to do something artistic, but what happened to me took that opportunity away. Making this movie changes that.
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Please visit Filipe’s Go Fund Me to help out if you can. Find & follow the project on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, or visit the Mind Mending Website for further information.
