Actress Diane Keen, best known for playing Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera Doctors, will celebrate her 80th birthday on July 29, just nine days after the third anniversary of a catastrophic stroke that doctors said only 2% of people survive. Hailed as a 'miracle' by medics, Keen is now writing her autobiography, producing a feature film, and making a documentary about stroke survival.
Remarkable Recovery Against the Odds
Speaking about her recovery, the three-times-married star, who has a daughter, Melissa Greenwood, with second husband Paul Greenwood, said: 'I never ever thought I would die. I never questioned it. Even when my daughter was told that I probably would die, I just kept thinking ahead to when I'd be fully recovered and would pick up my life from where I left off.'
She added: 'I never strayed from that thought. I didn't even consider being wheelchair-bound. It wasn't going to happen. It's so important to have a positive attitude and be determined to do all you can to recover. I saw people a lot younger than me on those wards give up. I'm not religious, but I have faith in the way the universe works.'
The Day of the Stroke
On July 20, 2023, Keen was staying at her daughter's house in Hampshire while Melissa was on holiday. 'I was looking after Melissa's pets,' she recalled. 'Still in my pyjamas, shortly after 8am, as I opened the doors to the conservatory, I experienced an enormous loud explosion in my head. Then things started spinning and I felt dizzy. I stood there, holding on to a door, thinking, "that was weird. I wonder what it was?" Then it dawned on me and I said out loud "Oh my god, I've had a stroke!"'
Her mobile was upstairs, but after crossing one room, she said: 'My body became paralysed and I hit the deck with a thump. With only two fingers and two toes properly functioning, I very slowly got to the bottom of the stairs, but couldn't move any further. I couldn't speak and could hardly see. All I could do was wait until Melissa returned the next day. I then spent 30 hours lying on her living-room floor. I wasn't in physical pain, presumably due to the paralysis. I eventually woke to Melissa going "oh my god, Mum!"'
Hospital and Diagnosis
Within 30 minutes, an ambulance took Keen to the nearest hospital in Portsmouth. She recalled: 'I had a clot at the base of my skull and another at the top of my head - they happened together. The consultant on duty took Melissa to one side and bluntly told her "there's massive brain damage, so get your family here as quick as possible because she probably doesn't have long."'
In intensive care, she met her stroke consultant, Dr Khan. 'He took my hands in his and said "I won't lie, you've had one of the most serious strokes, and if you have another in the next two weeks that will kill you. But we're going to do everything possible to get you through this. You're a fighter and so am I. I promise you you're going to walk out of hospital, and with luck, the clots will dissolve in time." Within 20 minutes, I had every piece of medical equipment known to man....I resembled a Cyborg, but I just knew I was safe.'
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Keen's paralysis lifted, and she said: 'Two weeks to the day of my stroke, I was able to stand. Learning to walk again as an adult is scary - I found that the hardest part. But after three weeks, Dr Khan said "I am satisfied you are medically sound", and a nurse told me "you're a miracle!"'
Transferred to a hospital closer to home in Southampton, Keen spent two months in hospital, with Melissa by her side every day. She recalled seeing her face for the first time: 'The right side of my face had dropped. I didn't see myself for three weeks and was shocked.'
After going home, she initially received daily care but decided after six weeks she could cope alone. She said: 'You recover quicker once you get home, because you have to. But there is no quick fix for a stroke. Dr Khan told me it would probably be a three-year recovery. My speech was bad, and my sight wasn't good, as one eye didn't work. I had a patch over it for 17 months until a successful operation. Now that's much improved and my face is how it should be.'
Ongoing Challenges and Projects
Keen still experiences dizziness, which cannot be cured, and gets pins and needles on her right side. She said: 'I go to the gym five days a week and that controls it a bit. Sometimes I get respiratory and memory problems - I forgot Andrew Lloyd Webber's name when I was interviewed on stage last year.'
She will likely remain on medication - Ramipril for blood pressure and Clopidogrel to prevent blood clots - for life. Her consultant in Southampton told her: 'With the type of stroke you had, there's only a 2% chance of survival. People who do survive are usually in a wheelchair and in a home or institution. Their face and sight don't recover, and they need constant care. Then there's you, and we don't know how you've come out of this the way you have.'
Driving again since July 2024, Keen is working on several projects. She laughed: 'I think a good title for my autobiography would be "I'm still here!"' Of her documentary on stroke survival, she added: 'I want people to know you don't get any warning with a stroke. One minute you're alright, the next you're not.'
Looking Ahead
Encouraging those recovering to 'take baby steps every day,' she said: 'If I can help even one person and show what they can do, that'll be worth it.'
To celebrate her 80th, she hopes to visit places on her bucket list, such as Egypt, Antarctica, New Zealand, and East Africa, where she grew up. And to mark three years since her stroke, she wants to see Dr Khan. 'When I was leaving hospital in Portsmouth, Dr Khan said to me "At the end of your recovery, come back to me and we'll have a good chat over a cup of tea." That's what I'm going to do. I can't wait. Dr Khan saved my life. I will be living to a very old age. I will drive everybody mad. They'll go "that bloody woman is 103, when is she going to stop?!"'
