Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read our page. Our mum Sandra suffered a severe Ischemic stroke at the age of 60 in October 2021 just 2 days after her granddaughter’s first birthday. This was a terrible shock for us and our family. From then on, our mum spent many months in hospital during her recovery.

Mum had lost the use of her left side and the damage to her brain impacted her ability to recover, mum spent her rehabilitation at Queen Elizabeth Foundation for disabled people this is a charity run rehabilitation hospital. QEF gave mum the courage and confidence to step out of her comfort zone and to try and regain some independence before returning home. Mum made friends here with people with all different disabilities and used to admire how brave they were and realised that she was not alone, she reached some targets we did not think were possible and she overcame some of her biggest fears to prepare her for life at home. Unfortunately, home life proved too difficult, and she was overcome with fear and anxiety and the impact the stroke had, made it too difficult for her to recover.

Despite her determination her recovery to get better was not to be and her life was never the same. In October 2023, our mum made the heartbreaking decision to end her suffering. My brother and I have struggled to process how much life has changed without her and have struggled to accept she is no longer with us. My brother and I are doing this run in memory of our beloved mum who was beautiful, brave and had so much courage and for anyone who is suffering.

We want to thank Queen Elizabeth Foundation who gave us hope and our mum for that little bit longer.