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In January this year my father died following 4 strokes and 11 years of illness.

After his first stroke he lost all his speech apart from being able to say Yes or No and even then he sometimes said No when he meant Yes and vice versa.  It was a huge loss for him and for all of us. For several years he struggled to regain some of his speech with the help of the Stroke Association Group which he attended at Connect, and the unceasing support and encouragement from my stepmother. He made significant progress but unfortunately then suffered another stroke and lost it all again. 

He carried on trying with the support of the group even after suffering another couple of strokes in the following years.  He never gave in to the frustration. Although he got down, he somehow managed to reach some kind of acceptance about his illness.  The groups gave him companionship, encouragement and support and I think they helped him to cope with, what was a very painful and difficult situation.

That is why I decided to enter the London Mazda Triathlon.  Its a very big challenge.  Although I have been cycling and running for a couple of years, in April this year I was not able to swim a length of the front crawl.  After what seems like forever spent in swimming pools and some very interesting skin problems which have develped as a result, I can now swim the 1500 m albeit very slowly.  My dad would have been very proud as he was an excellent swimmer in his younger days.

I would be grateful for any donation which you might make, so that the Stroke Association are able to carry on helping people who are suffering like my father did.

Thank you very much

Karen

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Stroke Association gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!