Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

The Edinburgh 10km that takes place on Saturday 26th of May will be my last run as Miss Walker before my name changes when I get married in early June.  I would like to mark the occasion by hopefully benefiting the lives of others in some way, by doing this run for charity

The Charity that I have chosen is the Stroke Association,  a charity that provides information, support and advice to help stroke survivors make the best recovery they can. My family and I were directly impacted by the effects of Stroke many years ago when my Grandad took several stokes, and his life and those around him changed forever.  More recently, however, just a few months ago,  on the 2nd November 2017,  just a few days before a small family gathering to celebrate our engagement, a close family member took a stroke.  

Thanks to his wife, who quickly recognised his symptoms as signs of a stroke they called 999, and he was taken to the hospital.  (Symptoms: He could not smile, and his face had fallen on one side, he could no raise both arms. He was not able to speak clearly and his speech was slurred.  Before these well-known signs of a stroke presented themselves, an hour earlier when looking for his phone,  he suddenly experienced blurred vision in one of his eyes, then over the next wee while, experienced sudden dizziness and had difficulty finding words or speaking in clear sentences.- symptoms that we, in general, are perhaps not so familiar with.)

We have been very lucky. We were lucky that the symptoms were identified early. We were lucky that the family member was able to receive quickly, excellent medical attention.  Due to the type of stroke and response time, we were lucky that he was able to be administered clot-busting thrombolysis treatment (This needs to be given within four and a half hours of your stroke symptoms starting normally). We were lucky to receive the professional support, tests and information from the stroke team in the minutes, hours, days and weeks following the Stroke to help understand the recovery and effect, to identify a potential cause and to make some lifestyle changes.  We have been very lucky in that he has made quite a remarkable recovery. 

I feel incredibly lucky that my mum recognised his symptoms and that my Dad, is here today, alive and well. He is able to appreciate and enjoy life, will be there at our wedding, able to make his speech and to hopefully share with our guests with his infectious laughter! 

The Stroke Association is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to conquering stroke. They deliver stroke services across the UK, campaign for better stroke care, invest in research and fundraise to expand our reach to as many stroke survivors as possible.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.Even though you are now twice as likely to survive a stroke compared to 20 years ago, stroke is still the fourth single largest cause of death in the UK. We know we need to change how people think about stroke and challenge the myths surrounding it. We push for greater awareness of stroke and its warning signs and campaign for better stroke care.

The Association believes:

• strokes can and should be prevented
• everyone has the right to make the best recovery they can after stroke
• research has the power to save lives and ensure people make the best recovery they can.

With so many worthy causes out there, whether you Donate or not, by simply visiting this page and reading this you have done your bit to helping promote a greater awareness of stroke. I want to thank you kindly for your support and greatly appreciate your donation,  if that is your time to read this,  sharing this with others and/or a donation of monetary value. 

With Love

Miss Rebecca Walker xx

(Please, note - 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.)