Miles to Raise Money for Neuro-Rehabilitation

Hey! I'm raising money for the organisation 'SameYou'.

As some of you will know, my brother Laurie suffered a brain haemorrhage (bleed on the brain) that caused a rare stroke on the 27th of May, 3 days before his 20th birthday. He'd not long come back from a day out with his girlfriend Kayley and her family for her birthday celebrations, there were no signs that this was going to happen.

As mum had previously suffered a stroke in 2014 we recognised the signs and called 999 within minutes. The ambulance, sadly, didn't arrive for over 2 and half hours and Loz ended up being carried down the stairs and lifted into the car to be driven to A&E. Had his stroke been caused by a blood clot, the outcome could have been very different (of course we didn't know this at the time). He has since spent the last 3 weeks in the Royal London Hospital after undergoing brain surgery to stop the bleed.

The surgeons discovered that he had an AVM that had caused the bleed, leading to a rare form of stroke which only accounts for 13% of all strokes recorded. Of those who suffer from a hemorrhagic stroke, it is estimated that only 1 in 4 people survive (so Loz has been incredibly lucky) and without the neurosurgeons, doctors, and nurses at the Royal London he may not have been so lucky.

The surgery, sadly, didn't come without its risks and has contributed to a loss of movement and feeling in Loz's left-hand side, especially his hand. He is now staying at a neuro-rehabilitation centre where he will be undergoing intense physiotherapy in order to try and help him regain his movement and feeling in his hand, and get him back to walking again.

My chosen Charity - SameYou - work tirelessly to raise funds and help increase neurorehabilitation access for young people after suffering from a brain injury and/or stroke. They are focused on funding groundbreaking, innovative research into new therapies and recovery programs and have major initiatives with world-class hospitals and universities in progress.

In order to raise money for this incredible organization, I've decided to walk the distance of 4 marathons in 4 weeks. Walking is such a basic and natural part of our everyday lives that we take for granted, yet for those like Loz who have suffered from a stroke or brain injury, this can be one of the most challenging and frustrating tasks

Starting Monday the 28th of June, I will be walking 6k every day to reach the weekly 26.2-mile goal, and by the 26th of July, I aim to have reached a total of 104 miles.

Any donation, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated and will help to support people like my brother.

Thank you so much,

Beth x

(p.s. I will be logging the miles on my Strava app if you want to keep me in check!)