The 3rd of April was such a happy day for our family; we were sat in the back garden sharing stories, laughing and frequently moving our chairs to catch the last rays of Sun as it set. Just two days later, my dad suffered a severe stroke, and by the 11th we had lost our champion. Nothing could have prepared us for that week.

A stroke is sudden, and can leave people debilitated for the rest of their lives. Some people need a long period of rehabilitation before they can recover their former independence, whilst others will continue to need some form of care or help with their daily activities. Just as the charge nurse told us, even if dad had survived he would have had a mountain to climb on his road to recovery.

In September I will be taking on one of the toughest challenges in the UK - The 24 Peak Challenge in The Lake District; A two day hike over 10 of England's highest mountains and 14 fells.

I have chosen to support Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland (https://www.chss.org.uk) as they deliver vital services to people in Scotland who are living with effects of these conditions, including mental health and rehabilitation support.

Please share and donate, thank you so much!

No life half lived,
Calum

In loving memory of Geoffrey Neil Barbour

PS. I hope I didn't make any grammatical errors, dad