In May 2012 with no warning I collapsed with what turned out to be a Subarachnoid (brain) Haemorrhage. This was a life changing moment which set into action a long chain of challenging and traumatic circumstances not only for me, but undoubtedly more so for those around me. I received fantastic medical treatment in the acute stage but on discharge information, support and services were extremely limited, although I was more fortunate than many as I had some knowledge of the people and services available. I am very grateful for the support that I received from the Community Brain Injury Service. However despite services being extremely limited then, the cuts within the health services and the reduction in support given to the voluntary sector means that services for survivors of a brain haemorrhage have reduced even further. Brain Haemorrhage despite being a form of Stroke does not fall under the remit of Stroke services, and some acquired brain injury services because of pressures of waiting lists are not accepting brain haemorrhage as it is a form of Stroke!!! The number of people who have a haemorrhagic stroke are a small proportion of the number who have strokes, but the needs of this group can be more complex, they are a group that is younger, have a higher mortality rate and report lower quality of life despite not having the same physical disabilities.

To mark 5 years since this event I plan to cycle the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port in Southern France, across the Pyrenees and the North of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. I plan to complete the 800km of this journey in ten days!! By doing this I hope to raise a little bit of money for the Stroke Association but also raise some awareness of the risk and consequences of the many different forms of stroke          

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