Having recently finished raising money for CALM by running a 10k every day for the second UK lockdown, he was fit and healthy with no known medical issues.  This came as a complete shock, in a taxi on his way home from work.

After the stroke, Ali was left not being able to talk. Over the next few days, doctors prepared us all for the likely outcome he may never speak again.

In the six months since that day, after daily intensive speech therapy with NHS therapist Shelly and subsequently with long term therapist Lisa, he has regained much of the speech he lost and is still improving. It's been truly incredible. 

We've learned a lot during this time:

- Brain injuries are very complex and the outcomes can be nuanced

- They are scary. Because they can be so varied and recovery is long and uncertain, the immediate shock is severe. 

- The road to recovery is long and the availability of specialist rehabilitation makes a big difference

- The NHS provision of rehabilitation is often limited

Through this journey we've discovered Ali is not alone.  There are estimated to be 1.2 million people currently recovering from a stroke in the UK. The number of people recovering from other forms of head injury is larger.

Charities like Headway have been setup to support survivors of head injuries and we've decided to support them so that they can go on to support other people like Ali in their recovery.  

The challenge is to cycle from London to Bristol and back to London again, in one day. The 400km route means we're leaving at 3am and hoping to return before midnight. 

The road will be long and perilous. We'll be eating close to 10,000 calories each.  There will be tears.  But it will be worth it.  This is the biggest challenge we've taken on and any donations to the cause would be greatly appreciated.  Giles and Harry.