I am taking part in a whole host of running adventures in my bid to raise money for The Stroke Association!.

In 2014 I ran The Tour of Merseyside which was 52 miles in a week, over 6 events, but now I am taking on one of the biggest challenges any runner could face - A MARATHON!!! And not just any marathon, The London Marathon on the 26th of April 2015!!!

I have never done a marathon before and this will be the furthest I have ever ran. The training is a huge task in itself, but it'll be so worth it!

If any of you lovely people have a few spare pennies to donate to this wonderful charity that is very close to my heart, I'd be very grateful.

Thank you for taking a look at my page, and continue reading to understand why I am raising money for The Stroke association - 

My Story -

In 2009 at the age of 34, I had a stroke. I hadn't been ill beforehand, it just came from nowhere.

At the time I was in Malaysia, a week into what was meant to have been a 6 week honeymoon of a lifetime, but sadly life seemed to have a 'plot twist' for me! 

I had woken up in the night with the weirdest 'pressure' sensation in my head, and I knew instantly that something wasn't right.

This feeling developed into a terrible pain in my forehead and I then began to loose strength in my arms, stopping me from being able to lift them up. My speech  became slurred, and when I went to stand I realised that I could no longer support my weight or walk.

In the next few hours I was rushed to hospital with the help of a couple of night porters from the hotel who apparently even run a few red lights for me! (there aren't ambulances freely available in Malaysia like here!!).

I was taken to hospital, and after a series of tests and scans, I was informed that a blood vessel in my brain had burst resulting in a bleed on the brain ie - a stroke.

I spent the next three weeks in hospital having numerous tests/scans etc, and receiving wonderful care from the hospital staff, and support from Mike my husband.

It was a horrible and scary time for us both.

I was eventually able to fly home with a nurse, and there begun the long road to recovery.

Luckily, due to my age and general health, the strength in my arms and my speech came back relatively quickly, although my co-ordination was abit all over the place and I still have a vision of me trying to feed myself and just hitting myself in the cheek with my spoon!

Over the next few months I regained the strength in my legs properly and could walk unaided, and the dizzy/unbalanced feeling got less.

Sadly, an event like this affects you in other ways too, and I did get depression, suffering from panic attacks and anxiety. I lost my confidence, my desire to do anything. I shied away from friends, events and just going out in general.

Anyway, I got better. Over the next couple of years I regained my strength of character and started to feel alot more like Emma, and now, here I am!!!

Two years ago I started running, and for anyone who knows me, and is a friend with me on Facebook, you will see that I always seem to be at some run, posting pictures of myself as a sweaty, post race mess but happily clutching my medal!!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.