MZANSI and fans have been sending love and well wishes to singer Lira, with many expressing how proud they are of her.
People were worried when they learnt about Lira’s health. The award-winning musician, who had suffered a stroke about 14 months ago, has publicly spoken about it for the first time.
She had previously revealed that after the stroke, she was diagnosed with aphasia – a language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension.
The 44-year-old Ngiyazifela hitmaker recently had an emotional sit-down with her friend and neighbour Relebogile Mabotja on her 702 show, The Upside of Failure.
Following the interview people were left in tears, while others said it had opened their minds and that Lira had inspired them.
Lira, whose real name’s Lerato Molapo, said she was excited that she could speak.
“I am here to share my story and I can speak well,” she said.
Lira said she gets surprised with the progress she makes every day.
“People have been asking me to share my story and I wasn’t ready because I couldn’t talk. I wasn’t ready to speak in a conversation but now I am ready, and my speech impediment doesn’t bother me,” she said.
She said she was on tour in Frankfurt, Germany, when she had a stroke.
“I was alone when I had the stroke. The sensation lasted about 15 minutes. It wasn’t pain. It was an uncomfortable feeling in my head,” she said.
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She said she walked into a restaurant and wanted to ask them where her hotel was.
“I intended to ask them, but my voice didn’t come out. They offered me a seat and cool drink, and I tried to speak. I had no idea what was happening,” she said.
She said she called her partner.
“I was having a bad nightmare. I couldn’t speak, read or even write. No one could understand because I was fine physically,” she said.
Two weeks later, Lira was brought back to South Africa, where she continued her treatment and learning how to speak.
"I knew that it would be hard. I had to say each [letter] 'a', 'e', and I was struggling. I had to learn the alphabet to put words together. I had to learn like a child," Lira said.
Lira said she is still in recovery, but she can communicate and pointed out a significant milestone for her was when she learnt to say her full name again, Lerato. She added, however, that she can only communicate in English.
"My language centre is damaged. And because English was the language I received my speech therapy, I became proficient in speaking English. Zulu and Sotho, I can hear, but it's tougher for me to say each word," she said.
