I'm taking part in the Brighton Marathon for #TeamStroke!

My dear ol' Dad, John, had a major stroke in June 2019 on a normal Saturday morning as he got up to make a cup of tea before spin class. An ambulance arrived within 4 minutes of my mother's 999 call and the incredible stroke team at Winchester Hospital was able to keep him with us. He lost his speech and functionality of his right side. In the first weeks in hospital with my Dad unable to communicate, we didn't know if his brain was still in tact. He was trying to mime something to us and becoming so frustrated with our incorrect guesses he erupted "f***ing hell!!!" - never have we ever been so happy to be sworn at. Dad was still there!

It's been an incredibly rocky, challenging, frustrating, elating, transformational journey since then learning to speak and walk again - a lot of blood, sweat and tears all round and I'm very proud of my Dad's grit and determination and - relative!! - good spirits along the way! It's taken an army! We've been extremely lucky to have the resources to access support from occupational therapists, speech therapists, physios and my dad's PT, all of whom have been instrumental in his ongoing recovery. Not everyone has this same access and it is this reason I am running all those miles in exchange for your pounds to gift someone else the best chance of recovery.

There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK, with 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year. That's one stroke every five minutes. Stroke Association believes everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke. Your support will help them to provide vital services, campaign for better stroke care and fund research into preventative and rehabilitative treatments. Help me raise as much as possible to help rebuild lives after stroke - thank you!