500 Miles in May

Let me start by saying that, ultimately, this is a story with a happy ending.  2020 was a difficult year for everybody.  But on August 16th at 05:30am, we received a call that turned our world’s upside down.  My dad, John O’Hara, was on his way to hospital in an ambulance after suffering a suspected stroke.  The next day we were given the news that Dad’s condition had deteriorated and he had suffered a large bleed on the brain.  His condition was critical and the doctor’s prepared us for the worst.  My Sister,  Shelle and her family, flew in from the USA at a moment’s notice and for a period of around two weeks, Shelle and I rotated shifts being at our Dad’s bedside and supporting my mom, who understandably wouldn’t leave his side.

Although we were told on several occasions to prepare for the worst, the doctors and nurses on the stroke ward worked on Dad day and night, refusing to give up on him.  Soon, he defied the odds and started to show signs of improvement.  It felt like an eternity, but within weeks he had been moved from the critical list to high dependancy.  From here his improvement continued until he was moved to West Park Rehabilitation Unit for a period of 2 months, before eventually returning home.

After months of hard work, intense physiotherapy, speech therapy and being probed, prodded and pricked we’re pleased to say that Dad is doing exceptionally well and although his recovery continues, he has now finally been discharged as an outpatient.  We are so proud of how well he has done.

Words cannot express our thanks for the team of consultants, doctors, nurses, physio therapists, occupational therapists and anyone else who tirelessly worked to not only keep Dad alive, but furthermore, get him back to living a normal life.  They dealt with both Dad and us as a family with the utmost dignity and compassion and never gave up.  The staff in both the stroke ward and west park rehabilitation unit are real life super-heroes who we witnessed continually going over and above their normal duties, through the constraints of Covid (and a lot of PPE!) to look after Dad - and many, many others.  We will be eternally grateful.

In order to express our gratitude for these exceptional teams, we want to try to raise some money and make a donation to them both.  So, during May I’ll be cycling a total of 500 miles (come rain or shine) and trying to raise £500.  This is quite a challenge for me (I’m no Bradley Wiggins) but it’s nothing compared to the challenges that these teams face on a daily basis.

We know times are tough, and money is tight….but even if you can only spare a fiver, a donation would be hugely appreciated.  I’ll keep you updated with my progress on social media.  Thanks for taking the time to read this…..now……where are my lycra shorts!?