I am a stroke survivor of 5 years this year on 30 October. 

Your donations will support the services provided by Different Strokes for the increasing number of stroke survivors still of working age in the UK. You will also be supporting my mission to raise awareness that having a stroke isn’t age specific and that it is a life threatening and frightening experience. 

On 30 October I woke up at about 3am I went to move my left arm and leg and both were lifeless. I didn't understand what was happening other than I needed to get to the hospital. It took an MRI scan at about 4pm later in the day to confirm I had a stroke but even then I still didn't appreciate the enormity of it until I the pain of deep concern in my husbands face and that of friends who had visited me that day. I found myself in a world where I had lost a partial ability to walk and was in a wheelchair. 80% of my memory was stolen, my ability to work things our like crossing the road became a major task and being in pain 24 hours was the new me...

I have a stroke buddy, which is really helpful because we understand the journey and how it feels to have an invisible illness because there is no outward evidence of us having had a stroke, which is normally associated with being elderly illness. Especially because we don't have  severe disability of speech impediment, extreme memory loss, wheelchair bound or are in vegetative state. What's really interesting is that our nuerologist or anyone else in the medical field has categorised the stroke we suffered as 'mild' something people with no medical experience has said to either of us. What both of us agree is that it's never felt mild in our heads.