Help my Hero
15 years
ago, our lives were changed forever when my Dad suffered a stroke and was left
with a condition called Locked-in-Syndrome. As the name suggests, he's
been left a prisoner in his own body, unable to move or speak, communicating through a combination of blinking and lip reading methods.
Even though he is so limited physically, he is completely aware of everything
and everybody around him and remains the person he was inside before he had the
stroke.
Despite all the challenges and frustrations that my Dad faces
every minute of every day, I have never heard him complain about his condition.
And that is why he is my hero. He has shown such inner strength, amazing
humour, and courage and I am so, so proud of the way he faces his challenges
every day. He still manages to make me laugh every time I see him "“ a real
trooper. He loves his football (
So, with my Dad's bravery and determination in mind, I
have set myself two, 2-wheeled challenges in this Olympic year, 2012.
The first challenge involves cycling from
The second challenge (October 2012) involves a cycle trip
slightly further a field "“ in
Why??! I hear you cry! Well:I would like to
take on these challenges to raise money for a device called 'Head Mouse Technology' which is a reliable and accurate,
hands-free mouse control alternative that allows complete control of a
computer by naturally moving the head. This method of computer access will be
far more efficient and much less frustrating for my Dad, allowing him to
communicate by text and email far more easily than he
is currently able to. There are many different models available but
to give you an insight, follow this link for an example -
http://www.orin.com/access/headmouse/
Most of these models start at about £500 so any extra money that is raised, Dad
and I would like to donate to the charity Fighting Strokes (http://www.fightingstrokes.org/) which
supports people living with Locked-in-Syndrome.
So dig deep, just like my Dad does every day and help us to make
his life a little easier.
Thank you,
Joanne