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- Lira has spoken publicly for the first time, 14 months after suffering a stroke while in Germany for a show.
- At the time, her management announced that the stroke had affected her speaking ability and that she was receiving treatment.
- In her first media interview since before April 2022, the 44-year-old sat down with friend and neighbour Relebogile Mabotja on Radio 702 to share her story.
Lira has spoken publicly for the first time, 14 months after suffering a stroke while in Germany for a show.
In her first media interview since before April 2022, the 44-year-old sat down with friend and neighbour Relebogile Mabotja for a segment called The Upside of Failure on Radio 702.
"I'm very excited," are the first words Lira uttered. "Because I can speak."
The songbird's excitement to be able to speak is valid.
Six months after suffering the stroke, Lira revealed that she had been diagnosed with aphasia – a language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension.
However, she noted that it is reversible and, on Friday, revealed that she has made much progress over the last 14 months.
When asked by Mabotja why she chose to speak publicly now, Lira explained: "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."
Lira then shared what happened in Germany.
"I was in Frankfurt, Germany, and I was excited about being there. It had been three years since I had travelled overseas…I was there on tour, and I left two days before the show," Lira said.
The Feel Good singer says she went for a walk the day before the show to "take in the sights, the scenes" when she started feeling "uncomfortable".
"I had a stroke at about 16:30," she said.
"The sensation lasted about 15 minutes. It wasn't painful. It was an uncomfortable feeling in my head. I walked into a restaurant, and I wanted to ask them where my hotel was," Lira continued. "I wasn't lost, but I'd been walking around. The hotel was nearby."
Lira said she "intended" to ask the staff for help, but "my voice didn't come out".
She added that after a while, she found her way back to her hotel and tried to call her partner on WhatsApp when she realised she couldn't read. The award-winning singer added that, at that time, no one could tell something was wrong because nothing was physically wrong.
It was only the next day that her manager, Lisa, realised something was wrong, and an ambulance was called.
Once she arrived at the hospital, she was told she had a stroke.
Two weeks later, Lira was brought back to South Africa, where she continued her treatment in learning 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 learned 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," Lira explained.
This, she added, was also due to not having a Zulu and Sotho speech therapist. When asked by a caller if there is anything good that has come from suffering the stroke, Lira said, "Life."
Listen to the complete conversation HERE.
