Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!

On September 20th 2022, I suffered a haemorrhagic stroke (brain bleed) in my left hand hemisphere of my brain. The consequences of this were immediate, with the loss of all ability to speak, write, count, or make sense of words, names, the alphabet, months of the year or even my mobile phone, brought on by the onset of severe Aphasia.

I could not speak at all for 3 weeks and it took about 8 weeks before I could attempt to communicate in basic sentences. Although still on the road to recovery, I'm glad to say that my progress has been quicker than I had expected, and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has played an important part of that recovery process.

When I was discharged from hospital, I was immediately put in touch with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. Through attending their local community Stroke Group, I was able meet with fellow stroke survivors and regain my confidence through shared discussions of stroke and recovery processes.

With May being Stroke Awareness month, and to repay in some small way the help of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, I will be attempting to walk the full West Highland Way from Glasgow to Fort William from Monday 1st May.

Your sponsorship of this fundraiser will be much appreciated and I hope will raise awareness of the sudden and devastating effects from a stroke and the condition of Aphasia.

Thanks,

Andy