On Friday 30th June 2023 I suffered a stroke at the age of 44.

It was shortly after 8pm and I was unwinding after a week at work and having put my 3 sons to bed. It started with a sharp pain and headache above my left eye that got increasingly painful. I started sweating profusely and began to feel dizzy and unsteady on my feet. Then the left side of my face fell and I could no longer stand unaided.

Thanks to my wife Helen, I was being seen by the stroke team at Bournemouth hospital by 9pm and after some scans they confirmed that I had a blood clot that was causing a ischemic stroke in my brainstem.

My blood pressure was over 250 at this point, causing the stroke team to fear a heart attack and preventing them from performing thrombolysis. This clot buster medicine can dissolve blood clots but it has risks, is not guaranteed to succeed and can be fatal.

Thankfully they managed to find a drug that reduced my blood pressure and they were able to give me the clot buster medicine around 11pm.

A CT scan 24 hours later showed that the thrombolysis had worked and the clot had dissolved.

As my stroke occured in my brainstem, which acts as a relay centre between the brain and other parts of the body, I had a wide range of ailments. I was left suffering with severe double vision and nausea, nystagmus (uncontrollable eye wobble), throat paralysis meaning I couldn't eat, drink or talk properly, and I couldn't stand, walk or even sit up in bed. I also lost coordination on the left of my body, and pain and temperature sensation on the right side of my body and left side of my face. I was in hospital for 3 weeks.

The care and support I received from the nurses, physios, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and consultants was exceptional. Without them I would not have learnt to speak, drink, eat, stand and walk again. I am still recovering, some ailments I will not overcome but I am getting used to my new normal.

I owe the Stroke Ward staff at Bournemouth Hospital enormously, they saved my life.

This is why I am challenging myself to complete this 5k run, to give something back, raise a little money for their charity, and show them my appreciation.

Please give whatever you can spare and help me say thank you.

Many thanks