Marlon Dingle’s (Mark Charnock) life in Emmerdale was forever altered by a catastrophic stroke that left him unable to walk and with significant communication difficulties last March.
It was touch-and-go whether he would live at all for a time, but with a tremendous amount of courage, perseverance, hard work, and support, he has greatly improved and can do the majority of tasks on his own.
However, the ramifications of the stroke are still being felt, and not just by Marlon. Back then, on that horrible day in March, April (Amelia Flanagan) discovered her father unconscious on the floor after suffering a stroke. Although he was unable to speak, we could hear Marlon begging April not to be afraid in his thoughts.
Soon after, April confided in Mary (Louise Jameson) her worries that she was afraid her father would pass away or would never be able to provide for his family again. It took April some time to get used to having him home once he left the hospital, along with all of his specialized equipment and the new routines of living with his condition.
She was scared and believed her worst worries had come true as she assisted him with a drink of water and he began to choke.
The tragedy of nearly losing Marlon affected April greatly, and she is still dealing with it even though he is now mostly back to his normal self, though he still gets very weary and needs help with some things.
In following episodes, April starts to become too protective of her father and begs him to remain in and recuperate just as he’s about to depart. Marlon dismisses her concerns, so she devises a last-ditch scheme to protect him.
Will April’s struggles go unnoticed?