In 2015 my lovely Dad had his first stroke. Earlier this year, he had another. The two strokes have left him with damage to both sides of his brain. After the second stroke, he had to have surgery on a carotid artery in his neck, to lessen the odds of him having further strokes. The surgery was a success, and he was allowed to come home. 

Life at home was difficult for my Dad, as he was no longer able to do a lot of everyday things that he used to do with ease. He couldn't concentrate for very long, and struggled to watch a documentary, read a book or do a crossword. The damage to his brain was evident, and after two weeks he deteriorated and was re-admitted to hospital. We very nearly lost him for good. 

Somewhat miraculously, my Dad started to improve, despite the opinions and expectations of his medical team. He is now making progress every day, and it's fantastic to have him back. 

Strokes can be prevented. They can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices like not smoking and drinking, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. I'm determined to spread the word to try and prevent other families from going through what we've been through this year. 

The Stroke Association work hard to educate people on stroke prevention, through their public-facing campaigns such as Know Your Blood Pressure and FAST, and their Life After Stroke Services work with survivors to reduce the risks of secondary strokes.

I'll be running the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run (Half Marathon) to raise funds for the Stroke Association, even though I'm really not a huge fan of long distance runs. 

If you'd like to make a donation, I'd be extremely thankful. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.