Story
Bookending my stroke story with another marathon. Why do I do this to myself…
On October 29th, 2023, I ran the Dublin Marathon, which also happened to be World Stroke Day (you have to laugh). I ran a personal best and felt the healthiest I’d ever been. I’d quit smoking 5+ years earlier, was eating well, training hard, had got married that summer, and life genuinely felt on the up.
Two weeks after the Dublin Marathon, at age 29, I had a full/proper/big stroke – but with none of the usual symptoms.
Life went a bit off-piste after that. I was partially sighted for a long time, had relentless migraines, and extreme fatigue. I’m not complaining – it could have been so much worse – but it was scary. For a while, I didn’t know if I’d be able to go back to my regular day-to-day life again. Thankfully, I’m back, baby! And have been for quite some time.
My recovery has gone really well, partly because I’m young and lucky, but also because of the incredible support around me: amazing medics, family, friends, colleagues, and NI Chest, Heart & Stroke. I didn’t need much care after my stroke, but NI Chest, Heart & Stroke were there for me. They provide free emotional support and a vital rehab programme called PREP.
For the past few months, I’ve been training for the Belfast City Marathon. It’s been hard coming back to running after my stroke and my heart procedure to close the hole in my heart that caused it, but I’m grateful I’ve just got running fatigue now – not stroke fatigue. Feeling very privileged 💞