AT a time when disability benefits are being hotly debated, a woman who suffered a stroke at 33 has proved it’s no handicap to finding a job.

Sharon Slack, 47, from Intack, also has Dystonia, a neurological disorder which causes her to shake uncontrollably, but is determined to make a success of her new role as a Slimming World consultant.

Sharon’s nightmare started shortly after the birth of her son Ben, 14, when she was involved in a minor car accident which, unbeknown to her, caused whiplash.

“I felt fine," she said. "But five days afterwards I had a slight neck and earache, so went for a lie down. When I woke, my kids thought I’d downed a bottle of wine in bed because I couldn’t stand and my speech was slurred.”

She was rushed to Queen’s Park Hospital where doctors discovered a torn artery on Sharon’s brain stem which had caused a stroke.

After three months in hospital she left in a wheelchair, paralysed down the left side. Her husband David had to give up work to look after their three-month-old and two older children. Within two years Sharon’s condition deteriorated further when she contracted Dystonia, a neurological movement disorder affecting her left side. Only 36 people in the world have contracted the disease as a result of a stroke.

Sharon said: “It’s something I have to live with. Over the years I’ve learned to do everything with one hand. I was delighted when I finally found a one-handed tin opener. I can walk, but I have difficulty keeping shoes on as I have no reflexes in my feet.

“I am a trained nursery nurse and over the years I’ve made several attempts to get back to the job I love, but each time it proved too hard for me. Trying to do artistic displays and the day-to-day stuff with kids proved too much and I’d have to give up. I got very depressed.”

But when her daughter Ruth, 28, decided to lose weight by joining Slimming World, Sharon decided that dropping a few stone would improve her confidence and self-esteem.

“When I started I weighed 13st 6lbs and I’m now down to 10st 13lbs, but when my consultant talked about opportunities to become a consultant I wondered if, finally, I had found something I could manage.”

Sharon got through the interview process and she’s been practising using the hand-held technology with one hand. Her husband and son will help transport quipment to the venue.

“I will have to conduct the group in bare feet because I can’t keep my shoes on, but I’m determined to make a great job of it," she said.

Sharon’s first class is on Thursday, July 4, at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Primary School, Mellor.

“That is Independence Day. The day I get my independence back and help others get their life back on track too.”