Wow, a total outlier, nothing in this story should make any stroke survivor feel better. Until this is not newsworthy your doctors and stroke hospital have a lot of work to do to make sure ALL stroke survivors get 100% recovered. No excuses for not meeting that goal.
JCB worker went from suffering a stroke to completing a 5km run...within MONTHS
When John Kavanagh arrived in hospital for rehabilitation following a stroke he was in a wheelchair and unable to walk.
Just a few months on, he was taking part in a 5km run at Trentham Gardens .
John was fit, healthy, and looking forward to a Christmas skiing trip with his son when he had a stroke on December 8.
The 51-year-old, a communications director at construction equipment manufacturer JCB , was directing a photo shoot outside The JCB Academy in Rocester when he became aware of a sharp headache on the right side of his head.
John walked back into the Academy and lost his footing. “One minute, I was fine,” says John, “the next minute, I had a blinding headache and was stumbling for no obvious reason.”
A JCB colleague noticed John had developed a facial droop. Recognising this as the a symptom of a possible stroke, he called 999 for an ambulance.
This quick response was crucial. John had had a bleed on the brain, and needed emergency care.
John was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital , where he received emergency care in its Acute Stroke Unit. He then had specialist physiotherapy which helped him regain some movement in his left leg, which no longer worked as a result of the stroke.
“Not being able to walk was a huge shock,” says John, from Croxden, near Alton . “I went from being totally independent to being completely immobile and entirely dependent on others to do the simplest tasks.”
It wasn’t long before the therapists got John out of his hospital bed to attempt walking again,
“It was hard,” he says. “I struggled to make even the shortest step. My left leg simply wouldn’t move but when it did, I would lose my balance and start to fall. I had a therapist on either side of me to ensure I didn’t fall and another behind me with a wheelchair in case I fell backwards. The team at Royal Stoke Hospital did a great job starting me off on the road to recovery.”
John spent Christmas at the Royal Stoke and was keen to start a structured rehabilitation programme as soon as possible.
He was moved to the Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital in Aylesbury, an independent neurological rehabilitation centre. Physiotherapy and occupational sessions started on the same day.
“I came through the doors of the hospital in a wheelchair,” says John “and thanks to the professionalism of the Royal Bucks therapists, I was walking again after just two weeks.”
John’s rehabilitation, led by physiotherapist Heather Lloyd, was structured around his particular circumstances and condition.
“The best Christmas present I had last year was being taken for an assisted walk on Christmas night by Andrea Rodriguez, a Royal Stoke therapist,” he says. “That was the ‘Eureka moment’, when I realised that, with a lot more effort and determination, I stood a good chance of walking again.”
In the early days of his treatment, some friends had signed up for the Stroke Association Resolution Run at Trentham Gardens in a show of support for John and another friend, who had also suffered a stroke last year.
The run – which raises funds to help stroke victims – was rearranged from March 4 after it was hit by the weather. It raises funds for victims of strokes.
John’s plan was to be on the sidelines to cheer them on, but three months on from arriving at the Royal Bucks he took part in Sunday's 5k event himself, walking some sections and jogging others.
He has already raised more than £2,500 for the Stroke Association.
A number of runners took part in the event with Port Vale mascot, Boomer, helping runners warm up. Gavin Yorke, aged 40, of Baddeley Green, the man inside the costume, suffered a major stroke in 2014 and a mini-stroke at the end of March.
Among those taking part was Simon Fawcett, of Blurton, who completed the 10km course in 38 minutes and 29 seconds. The 37-year-old said: "It was quite tough because I ran the Cannock Chase Trail Half Marathon the day before but it was a nice course and there was plenty of support as we went around. Everyone in Trentham was great and it was really good.
"My mum had a stroke so I have seen the effects of it first hand and when I found out about this I knew I really wanted to do it."
Rob Hawley, aged 41, of Stafford, was the first person to cross the line having run the 5km race. He said: "It was a good race and a really nice route. There were tough bits and I have been to the gardens as a visitor before but never a runner.
"I am a keen runner and it was nice to complete the race for a really good cause."
Scott Hadley, aged 32, of Blythe Bridge, said: "It was a deceptive course and you think it's flat but there are a couple of climbs. It is the most beautiful course I have run."
Matt Lindop, aged 29, of Trentham, added: "I enjoy running and it was a scenic course. It was nice running around the gardens."
To sponsor John go to justgiving.com/fundraising/john-kavanagh8
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