I am taking part in the Great North Run in September and if I tell you that at the moment I would struggle to run for a bus you’ll understand how hard this is going to be.  Walking 13.1 miles maybe but run? It will certainly be a challenge but I will do it, even if I have to crawl my way round.

Do I have masochistic tendencies? No, I am doing this to raise money for a very worthy cause, of which sadly, like many others, we have personal experience.

My Dad was just 46 when he had his first stroke and then he suffered another ten years later at 56.  I say ‘he suffered’ but a stroke is something that the whole family suffers.  The eldest of four children, I was 12 when he had his first stroke and my youngest brother just 4.  At that age I didn’t really understand what had happened, or what was going to happen.  After a lengthy stay in hospital he came home. He wasn’t quite the same as before the stroke but he did make a good recovery and eventually was able to return to his job as a Milkman. 

His second stroke seven years ago came with no warning and was devastating.  It was a sunny August bank holiday three weeks after my graduation ceremony.  It had not been a good summer for the family with one thing and another, but things were looking up.  I was at home with the family and my Dad had just finished his milkround and was enjoying a rest, watching the football and munching a toastie.  My Mum was in the garden cutting the grass and I had gone through to the living room for something when I noticed my Dad. One side of his face had dropped and he couldn’t talk.  The rest is a bit of a blur but we just knew he had had another stroke.  I can remember bits and pieces, dialling 999, the ambulance leaving with it’s blue lights and sirens and Mum in tears going in the ambulance.

Now I could go on about what happened next but anyone who knows someone who has had a stroke will be able to tell you what happens or doesn’t as you wait in limbo praying everything will be ok while the effects of the damage slowly become apparent.

Sadly in this case the outcome wasn’t as good as the first time.  Although my Dad is still with us, he is paralysed on his left side, cannot talk or eat and requires 24 hour care. He is a stubborn sod and sometimes there is a glimmer of the Dad we once knew and these are the moments we hold on to.  As for us, we all get on with things as best we can. We make adjustments, accept that there are things he will never be able to do with us or our children and continue to pray for a miracle.

The Stroke Association provide practical and emotional support to stroke victims and their families as well as research into prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and long term care. In addition they have provided funding for fellowships so that Doctors can specialise in stroke care ensuring that victims get the best treatment as quickly as possible to minimise the damage caused by strokes.

Through my personal experience I believe that their work is vital to help prevent other people and their families from experiencing the devastation that strokes can cause. This is why I am training hard and prepared to crawl the 13.1 miles if I have to!.

THANK YOU for reading this and PLEASE, PLEASE sponsor me. Even the smallest amount will really help. If you can spare a pound that’s great as those pounds will soon add up and if you can be more generous that would be fantastic.

Amanda x