Unfortunately, my family have been afflicted by the legacy of strokes. 

My maternal grandad, Poppa, suffered from a stroke when I was very young, and according to family members, was never the same outgoing and confident person he was pre-stroke. He was with people he knew, but struggled in new situations and would get incredibly frustrated when trying to get his words out - much to the amusement of all his family.

On my paternal side, both Grandad and Nanny suffered strokes. In 2010, Grandad had a major stoke that meant he never spoke another word for the remaining 12 years of his life. It robbed him of so many life experiences from going to see his beloved Arsenal again to cuddling his great grandchildren. He also was wheelchair-bound for the final years of his life having only, after much rehab, managed to learn to shuffle around the house. For the remainder of his life, Grandad suffered a series of minor strokes that finally he gave into in April 2022. Nanny also had a series of minor strokes over the past few years of her life, causing her to give up her driving and forcing her to move into a flat. She slowly lost confidence in her balance and weakened her so when she passed away recently, she didn't have the same strength to fight the cancer that took her.

These are the reasons for me running for the Stroke Association in the 2023 London Marathon. Below is a list of the things they can do to support those who have suffered from strokes so please give generously if you can.

The Stroke Association are the UK's leading stroke charity, delivering amazing, life-changing support to over 70,000 stroke survivors and their families each year. Without people raising funds for the Stroke Association they could not provide the support and research that they do. 

Your donations are so important to rebuilding lives after stroke: 

• £80 could allow a a stroke survivor to attend a six week communication computer course 
• £199 could pay for one hour of Helpline activity- £310 could pay for the initial training and expenses of a befriending volunteer
• £1,685 could pay for a fitness coach to provide stroke specific exercise rehabilitation
• £40,000 funds a Lectureship Award for stroke doctor, nurse, therapist or scientist for a year
• £450,000 fully funds a Priority Programme Award in haemorrhagic stroke, vascular dementia and stroke, or the psychological and cognitive impact of stroke, which would run over the course of 5 years