Terry McCartney is no stranger to
unusual requests at the Belmore Court & Motel, but he’s currently preparing
several extra buckets of ice for some aching limbs arriving on Thursday 16 May!
His guest list for the
night includes 43 year old stroke survivor, Raymond Kelly who’s set himself the
ultimate challenge of cycling 500 miles and climbing 7 mountain peaks in just 5
days! All to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association charity in Northern
Ireland.
Raymond, from Dunloy,
had his first stroke at the age of 38 which left him with aphasia as well as
physical and emotional problems. Since then, he has had further strokes but has
slowly improved his speech and regained mobility with the support of the Stroke
Association, his wife Denise and their two children.
Not one to sit back and
let his health defeat him and in an effort to give something back to the Stroke
Association for their support, Raymond has created the 575 Stroke Challenge.
The ‘575 Stroke Challenge’
aims to raise £10,000 for the Stroke Association in Northern Ireland and Raymond
and his two cycling partners, Simon Corrigan and Peter Zagrapan have been
training for a number of months and will arrive in Enniskillen on Thursday 16
May.
Raymond comments; “I’ve always
been an active person but when I took my first stroke I pretty much lost a year
of my life. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t really move and felt very depressed.
However, I was determined to get my life back again for the sake of my family
and so, with the support of the Stroke Association, my speech has improved and
my physical ability has come back. I still can’t read properly, get my words
mixed up and get very tired but I’m alive and getting on with things as best I
can. I got the help I needed to overcome my stroke and so if I can do something
to help other stroke survivors, I will.”
Terry McCartney, from the Belmore Court & Motel said; “When we heard
the guys were coming through Enniskillen we were only too happy to open our
doors to them. Raymond has stayed with us before, and truly is an
inspiration to the thousands of stroke survivors across Northern Ireland. We wish Raymond, Simon and Peter the very
best of luck in this amazing challenge.”
To support Raymond’s challenge,
please visit www.justgiving.com/575-stroke-challenge
or the ‘575strokechallenge’ page on Facebook. Raymond and the guys would also
greatly welcome your donations and support along the route so please do come
out and cheer them on.
ENDS//…
For further
information or to arrange an interview please contact Michelle Baird,
Communications Manager at the Stroke Association on 028 9050 8051 or email michelle.baird@stroke.org.uk
575 Stroke Challenge route
is as follows:
Wed 15
May
- Cycle from Dunloy to Derry
Thu 16
May
- Cycle from Derry to Enniskillen
Fri 17
May
- Cycle from Enniskillen to Newcastle
Sat 18
May
- Climb 7 peaks of the Mourne Mountains
Sun 19
May
- Cycle from Newcastle to Dunloy
- A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. Around 4,000 people have a stroke in Northern Ireland every year. That’s one person every two hours. Stroke has a devastating impact on an individual, is the single biggest cause of severe disability in the UK and the third most common cause of death.
- There are over 33,000 people in Northern Ireland living with the effects of stroke, including 10,000 with aphasia, a devastating communication disability caused by stroke.
·
Stroke Association is a charity. We believe in life after stroke and
we’re leading a community of people to change the world for people affected by
stroke. We work directly with stroke
survivors and their families and carers, with health and social care
professionals and with scientists and researchers. We campaign to improve
stroke care and support people to make the best recovery they can. We fund
research to develop new treatments and ways of preventing stroke. The Stroke
Helpline (0303 303 3100) provides information and support on stroke. More
information can be found at www.stroke.org.uk
·
For
many people a stroke happens suddenly and without warning and contrary to
common belief, it can happen to anyone at any age – even babies in the womb.
The Stroke Association Phone: 028 9050 8020
Rushmere
House Fax: 028
9066 0720
46 Cadogan Park www.stroke.org.uk
Belfast BT9 6HH Registered
Charity No. XT33805
