In early 2009, my mum unfortunately suffered a major stroke affecting the right side of her body. I remember meeting with the team at the hospital, who told my family that it would likely take years for her to recover, and it was unlikely she would ever fully recover at all. 

Every stroke is different, but the effects range from physical to emotional, problems with communication, memory loss, changes in behaviour etc. For some, the effects are minor, but for others, it can leave them with major long term problems. 

Thanks to the help from amazing rehab teams and supporting organisations such as Stroke Association, and of course the perseverance of my mum, 10 years down the line she’s managed to recover even more than doctors predicted. She’s gained her speech back, a lot of mobility, and luckily for me, I still have my mum. 

So, this October, I will be running the Cardiff Half Marathon in honour of her, and to fundraise for the incredible charity Stroke Association, who help to rebuild lives after stroke, for the survivor's and their families. 

Their work relies heavily on the generosity of their supporters. Without them they could do very little. In the last year alone Stroke Association have been able to provide £200,000 worth of Life After Stroke Grants to stroke survivors in need. They have distributed over 1.7 million stroke information leaflets and factsheets to help people find out more about stroke. Alongside this, they’ve approved £4.78 million worth of research grants to help find the next big breakthroughs of the future. 

So anything you could spare to help me raise some money would be greatly appreciated, even if it is just a few pennies! 

Stroke survivors are now facing a more promising future thanks to you.

Together, we can conquer stroke.