Ian Sharp

I'm running the Great North Run 2024 as part of #TeamStroke

The 8th of September will be my 20^th Great North Run. It was therefore already promising to be a memorable one.

However, on 16^th June this year, ironically Father’s Day, my Dad (also Ian Sharp, or “Fatha Ian“ as he is affectionately known) suffered a major stroke, which has left him struggling with mobility, speech, cognition and a number of other challenges.

As I write this, he is still in hospital, and until he is ready for discharge, he is in the care of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists. He is still managing to be stubborn and argumentative, but is also focused and determined to get better as soon as possible. While this whole thing has been unbelievably upsetting for him, he still laughs easily, he is a fighter and I am as proud of him as I can be.

Once home, he will need continued support from various specialists, therapists and carers. He and the family will also be relying on the excellent support provided by the Stroke Association.

That is why this year, I am running the Great North Run for #TeamStroke, to try and raise some awareness and funding to support their efforts.

There are over 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, with 100,000 strokes happening in the UK each year. That's one stroke every five minutes.

The Stroke Association: “We are here to support people to rebuild their lives after stroke. We believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke, so we work with the stroke community to make sure people affected by stroke get the very best care and support. We rely on your support to provide vital services, campaign for better stroke care and fund research into preventative and rehabilitative treatments.”

It’s fair to say that this event has had a momentous impact on Dad and also the rest of the family. Therefore for me, this year’s GNR carries an obvious added significance and incentive, which will be useful, not least because getting round the course is a big challenge these days.

Your donation would provide further incentive, but most importantly, it would provide crucial and valued assistance for thousands of stroke survivors, like Dad.

Thank you.

Ian Sharp (Jnr)