On New Years Eve,
2008, while 6 months pregnant, I suffered a major stroke and my left side was paralysed. In an instant, the lives of our
unborn baby, John and myself were turned upside down.
Neither
John nor I had ever considered the possibility that a stroke could
affect a young person, but it can happen to anyone, even a
baby. This is where the Stroke
Association comes in. They aim to reduce strokes through
research and education (as in the FAST television and poster campaign)
and also help and support people and their families who have been
affected by stroke. John, in particular, found the support offered my
members of the Stroke Association community invaluable in helping us
through this difficult time.
We have moved on a lot since that
fateful day and feel we are in a position now to give something back to
the stroke community and to help the Stroke Association with their work.
To this end, John and I have decided to enter the Thames
Bridges Bike Ride 2010. John and I will be cycling 30 miles
and 13 bridges across London and hope to raise a whole heap of money for
the Stroke Association! Because of my mobility problems it will not be
possible for me to ride a bike by myself so the Wheels For Wellbeing
charity are kindly hiring to us of one of their two wheeled tag-alongs
(see the photo)! This will allow me to pedal along while attached to
Johns bike. The two wheel layout means I don't have to worry about
balance.
This is where you come in! We would really, really
appreciate it if you would sponsor our bike ride to help the Stroke
Association help people not only like myself, but their families and
everyone affected by stroke. I was lucky, John recognised the symptoms
of my stroke and got me to hospital in the fastest time for the best
treatment possible. Through the work of the Stroke Association hopefully
more people will be aware of these symptoms and if needed, will be
afforded the help they need to see them through their or their family
memebers stroke.
If you would also like to donate to Wheels for wellbeing who are lending us the trike tag-a-long, you can do so here.
So, please give what you can, no matter how
large or small, and help John and I give something back.
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
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
and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK
taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more,
whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
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