Hi, my name is Hollie and I am fundraising for Livability Icanho (a rehabilitation centre for brain injury and stroke), SWAGS+ and the Stroke Association.

I will be doing a skydive in honour of my father, Fil.

28th August 2026 marks the 10-year anniversary of my dad suffering a catastrophic stroke, and life as we knew it changed within minutes.

It was a normal Sunday morning. Dad was due to give me a lift to work, and at around 09:50am, everything changed.

My dad was 52 years old at the time and was taken to hospital within minutes. He then received a drug that was administered within 58 minutes of his stroke, which works in up to 85% of patients and can help reduce and even reverse the effects of a stroke. However, my dad was in the unlucky 15% of patients it did not work for.

Within a few hours, the clot in my dad’s brain had travelled further, resulting in the entire left side of his brain being damaged. Dad was therefore blue-lighted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Later that night, doctors decided it was best to perform a craniotomy to reduce swelling on the brain, and he was placed into a coma to help his body heal.

Eventually, Dad woke up, however he was not the same person he was before. He has full paralysis on the right side of his body, aphasia, apraxia, DCD, peripheral vision loss, and deafness. The list goes on.

Dad spent a few months in hospital, having to relearn everything again: how to swallow, how to cough, how to sneeze, how to walk, how to talk, and more. He was then referred to rehabilitation to continue his treatment.

The first two years after a stroke are the most vital for recovery. Dad worked so hard to get to where he is now, however he still faces daily challenges as a result of the disabilities caused by his stroke.

I want to raise awareness of how this not only impacts the patient, but the family too. We wouldn't be where we are today without the three charities I am donating all funds to.

I also want to raise awareness that strokes can present differently to the symptoms described by F.A.S.T (Face, Arm, Speech, Time), as my dad did not present the ‘typical’ symptoms people often hear about.

Funds raised will be equally divided and donated to Livability Icanho (Rehabilitation Centre for Brain Injury and Stroke), SWAGS+ (Stroke Working Age Group Suffolk) and the Stroke Association.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you are not in a position to donate, please consider sharing my link x