Scarlett Bentley

I'm taking part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon as part of #TeamStroke.

On the 11th of December 2023 my grandma passed away as a result of a stroke, 6 days before my 18th birthday. My grandma was the kindest most loving person I ever hope to have the privilege of knowing - she always had time for everyone. She was an incredibly inspirational women too me, leaving Ireland at 18 and travelling to England, raising 5 children whilst my grandad worked, as well as being a carer - a job I believe she was made for, being a fantastic grandma for her 8 grandchildren and her endless support, love, awful jokes and singing. My grandma never failed to remind me I was loved and supported. 

Before I was born, when my mum was only 21 years old I lost my other nan to a stroke too. I only know my Nan through memories my mum has shared with me but I love her just as much. It upsets me that I never got to meet her but I hope to one day. I couldn’t imagine losing my mum at 21, no one should have too. 

This year one of my uncles Peter also suffered a stroke. He is in his recovery process now and I’m so glad to be able to support a cause which makes recovering from a stroke slightly easier. 

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.

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

It’s a privilege to run the royal parks half in aid of stroke and in memory of both my grandmas.