Sarah and Gordon’s story

For Sarah and her husband Gordon, music has always been part of their story. From the hymns Sarah sang every Sunday at boarding school to 80s power ballads, music has shaped their happiest memories.

I met Sarah on New Year’s Day on a crowded bus in 1985 and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We’ll have been married 40 years next year. The longest we’ve spent apart is whilst Sarah’s been ill. 

Sarah’s husband Gordon

Five years ago, Sarah had a sudden and severe stroke that has affected her short-term memory and left her paralysed in both legs and her left arm.

“One minute I was waiting to pay for the trolley for my food shop at Sainsburys, then I just collapsed apparently,” recalls Sarah. “Luckily I was next to two NHS workers so they knew what had happened straight away and got the ambulance. Next thing I knew I was here waking up.”

Gordon regularly visits Sarah at the Marillac Neurological Care Centre in Essex, where she has lived since her stroke. They share a different kind of musical connection through Music in Hospitals & Care’s tailored live music experiences.

“I haven’t seen live music for years outside of the Marillac Centre,” says Gordon. “I can see it means a lot to Sarah, she’s more mellow and a lot less frustrated with the fact she can’t do what she wants to do. I like listening to it because the music that’s often played is music that I grew up with.”

Sarah agrees: “I like it when I can recognise songs, which I did today. At Christmas we have a guitar player who knows hip hop. He’s very good, I like him.”

“We focus on living the best possible life we can under the circumstances,” adds Gordon. “She is more relaxed when there’s music playing and definitely calmer after a performance. Music in Hospitals & Care just hits the right notes, as they say.”

Activities Supervisor Debra has seen how powerful these moments can be for residents and families alike. “Live music just lifts you,” she says. “You see residents smiling, staff dancing, and families joining in. There is still happiness and hope. It’s just joyful.”