Harrogate stroke survivor to host fundraising event to mark World Stroke Day

From 8am till 8pm at David Lloyd in Harrogate, there will be two treadmills going for 12 hours and members will be bale to book a half an hour slot to join and help raise money for the Stroke Of Luck charity.

Caroline Brady, event organiser, is organising the event after she suffered a stroke herself at just 37 years old, back in January 2020.

Caroline said: "I taught fitness classes as part of my job and have always been fit and healthy.

"Whilst teaching one of my classes, I had slurred speech and luckily, members noticed I didn't look well and alerted the staff at the venue.

Caroline was taken to Harrogate Hospital where she underwent a series of stroke assessments .

She was later transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where she was taken for surgery, which lasted just over four hours.

It was revealed later on that the stroke was caused by a spontaneous carotid artery dissection and this is one of biggest causes of stroke in younger people, but is still very rare.

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Caroline added: "Before I had my stoke, I was aware that younger people can have them but a lot of comments I did get after my stroke was surprise and shock that it had happened to someone so young and for someone who keeps themselves pretty fit is pretty frightening when you think about it.

"Everyone is aware of the acronym FAST and I was, especially having done my First Aid at Work courses throughout my work life, but the biggest one for me is TIME.

"I was extremely lucky in the time I was treated.

"A lot of people have said: 'You're age and fitness will have helped you to recover quickly' which it probably has but I was in surgery within three and a half hours of the onset stroke symptoms starting, which is a pretty quick turnaround.

"Because my recovery was pretty good, I want to use my voice and experience to raise more awareness of strokes in young people and to educate people in the signs and symptoms to look out for as a stroke doesn't discriminate and can happen at any age and even if you're not sure, call 999 as it is better to be checked out and don't dismiss it because of someones age.

"Being able to promote awareness and raise money for other stroke survivors and help in some way with their recovery feels very special to me and it is important to me to keep highlighting and sharing the message.

"I think that personally A Stroke of Luck has helped to provide me with a huge online community of support worldwide with professionals and other survivor's."

A Stoke Of Luck is a charity that provides stroke survivors with the opportunity to access fitness professionals' services to aid in recovery and rehabilitation.

The charity believes that no stroke survivor should be left alone thinking 'what next?' and with A Stroke Of Luck, the journey to a fuller life continues because they truly care and create positive communities.

George Rounthwaite, General Manager at David Lloyd Harrogate, said: "Caroline's story showed all of us how the dangers of a stoke can affect anyone.

"We are so proud of our team for identifying the early signs and ensuring Caroline was able to get the help she needed quickly.

"Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with regular physical activity and a balanced diet is key to reducing the risk of a stroke and at David Lloyd Harrogate, we are fortunate to have many facilities to enable our members to do this every day.

"We are looking forward to supporting World Stroke Day and raising money for A Stroke Of Luck as part of our charity day on Friday 29th October."

To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dlworldstrokeday21

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