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At the end of May last year I had a fall from my bike. I had no obvious injury at the time except for shoulder pain the following day.  A couple of weeks later I was at the pub with some friends when they noticed that my speech was slurred (not from too much beer!) I collapsed and was admitted to Leeds General Infirmary. A scan showed that I had had a stroke which affected the left hand side of my body and right hand side of my brain.  

The hospital carried out a decompressive craniectomy a few days later. This is where part of my skull was removed
to allow my swelling brain room to expand without being squeezed.

In August I was transferred to Chapel Allerton Hospital for ongoing rehabilitation. I had cranioplasty in November to replace my skull which as you can imagine improved my headaches!

The stroke left me partially paralysed down my left side, unable to walk, no use in my left arm and some damage to my brain. This meant that my independence was limited by my physical functioning; my memory was not quite so good; and it takes me a little longer to do things than
it used to.

Having played Professional golf for many years these restrictions prove extremely frustrating.

I was admitted to Daniel Yorath House in Garforth in March 2016 which is where I have been since.  DYH is a brain injury rehabilitation unit that helps people get back to their lives.  They have psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists and a big team of support staff.

I’ve been working really hard with these guys to get to where I am now:

• I can walk unaided with a walking pole;
• I’m getting some sensation back in my left
  arm and hand;
• I’m learning about compensatory memory
  strategies;
• Working out how I can do things in a
  different way to how I used to;
• Thinking about my options for work in the
  future.

My aim is to get home, walk without a stick, start driving again, return to
playing golf, get back to work and resume my previous lifestyle.

I want to raise money for Daniel Yorath House which will pay for things like music therapy, buying equipment for the unit and paying for social trips out for residents and many other things.

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