Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On 6th March 2011, myself,Stuart MacDonald, Katie Starmer are running the the London Half Marathon.

Like many people I am sure, I signed up for this run not quite realising how far 13 miles is. Having done some training I can tell you it is not only a long way but bloody hard work! I haven’t even attempted a 10K run before, so this will be a real test of my strength and determination. Many people who know me would say I am quite stubborn, but I can tell you that this will test even my levels of stubbornness! So towards the end you may see a girl who resembles the slow plodding rhino at the end of many scenes in that good old children’s film Jumanji...but I will get there!

Myself and Stuart MacDonald have chosen to run for Connect, a charity that works with people who have aphasia. I worked for this charity before beginning my career as a speech and language therapist, and so I know firsthand the highly worthwhile work they do.

Aphasia is a communication disability which occurs when the communication centres of the brain are damaged. It is usually caused by stroke, but can also be caused by brain haemorrhage, head injury or tumours.

Each person with aphasia experiences it differently. Some people cannot speak at all; some people have just a few words. Others can no longer read, write or use numbers.

Everyday activities such as having a conversation, answering the phone, watching television, may suddenly become a source of profound frustration and anxiety both for the person with aphasia and for their families, friends and carers.

Aphasia is more common than you would think. Every 11 minutes three people in the UK have a stroke. About a third of those people will have aphasia. In addition there are people who have aphasia through brain injury or tumour. So you may not have heard of aphasia but you probably know someone who has it. Most importantly of all, aphasia does not discriminate by age...it can affect the lives of anyone...elderly, middle-aged, or in fact teenagers.

 

Please look at their website to see not only that ways in which they support people with aphasia, but also the ways in which people with aphasia work hard and achieve so much with the charity’s support.  

http://www.ukconnect.org/viewourdvds.aspx

 

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So please dig deep and donate now.