Stroke is a common condition that can not only affect physical functioning, but also psychological and emotional wellbeing. In the literature review, a meta- synthesis of qualitative papers exploring the impact of stroke on self, identity or biography indicated, that although a person's sense of self can be significantly affected by the occurrence of a stroke, many people are able to maintain a sense of a sustained self. In particular, the review highlighted that the impact of stroke on self is complex and varied. Furthermore, it is dependent on a number of factors such as degree of physical impairment and the socio-political climate. A further review of the stroke literature indicated a lack of qualitative studies exploring the experiences of people that have had a stroke at a young age. Consequently, the present study aimed to explore and understand the experiences of coping and recovering from a stroke at a young age. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used which demonstrated that young people have a sense of 'not belonging' post-stroke. In particular, participants felt that their age-related identities were affected, that they were not understood by others and that their concept of self was altered. Finally, in the critical review the researcher reflects on experiences of conducting the research and discusses clinical implications and suggestions for further research in more depth.