Musician Andrew Stopps Photo: Supplied / Andrew Stopps
In November 2021, Andrew Stopps suffered two life-altering strokes, leaving him fearful he might never fully rehabilitate.
At just 47, the clarinettist, composer and music teacher was considered a young stroke victim.
The strokes left him unable to teach or play his instrument, but did not stop him writing music.
In the following months he began to compose what he calls a "symphonic memoir" of his stroke experience.
Stopps a few months after his strokes. Photo: Benji Hartfield
In five movements, it charts the story of his mood pre-stroke, the shock of losing control of his mind and body, and ends with a musical depiction of hope.
And there is a lot of hope for Stopps' musical career. In February, he travelled to Florida for a special treatment not available anywhere else in the world.
The perispinal etanercept he received involves injecting an anti-inflammatory serum - originally used to treat arthritis - into the brain via the spinal cord.
Stopps acknowledges it does not work for every stroke sufferer, but he took a chance, and with help from a crowd-funding campaign took the trip to the USA.
The result, as documented in a Facebook video, was almost immediate.
Galvanised by the successful treatment, Stopps carried on with his "symphonic memoir" which caught the attention of New Zealand film royalty, Dame Fran Walsh and Sir Peter Jackson.
Speaking to RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump, Stopps says after hearing a demo of the work, Walsh and Jackson offered to have it recorded by a live orchestra at their Stella Maris Park Road Post recording studio in Wellington.
"All I have to do now is find the musicians."
Stopps hopes funding from Creative New Zealand will help pay for the orchestra, but if it doesn't he will continue to raise money privately.
As well as writing an orchestral work based on surviving his strokes, Stopps is also writing a book.
If he can find a publisher, he'd like to book to come with the recording of the music.
Crump asks Stopps about his hopes for a live performance of the work. He's less worried about that. What he wants is a book and recording that's available to stroke survivors around the world.
As for his own recovery following his trip to Florida, Stopps says the injections (he had two) are not a cure-all. His rehabilitation continues as he regains control of his right hand and his tongue (crucial for playing the clarinet) but it has been (almost) literally a major shot in the arm.
