Steven Forsyth
My Story
A little bit about me. A one time 25 stone athlete 🤣, runner of a few half marathons, father of 3 crazy kids🤪, dogfather of a Maltese 🐶, husband and long time owner of dodgy knees 😬. For years I have had the desire to run a full marathon. I worked in London for 6 years and loved running in LDN. Recently chatting with a friend, whom I was exceptionally proud of for completing the London marathon, it got me itching again. And there you have it.....I'm running the race. I'm running for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.
Why is this important to me?
My papa and great papa both suffered massive strokes in their 50’s and 70’s respectively. My only memory of visiting my great papa was as a small child and only in hospital. I have no other affirmative memories of him.
My papa I hold dearer, having spent all my childhood summer holidays with my maternal grand parents my memories are rich. He was an active and keen golfer, liked rough and tumble, always prepared to be the horse to the 8 year old me. I watched as he ended up heavily impaired, with the need to learn many basics all over again. It changed him completely, but he was always somewhat inspirational as he didn’t let it stop him enjoying life, swapping the golf for bowling, enjoying the bingo, following his football team. I cherished my relationship with him.
With both of these cases being my mothers father and grandfather I am sure I have some genetic pre-disposition to stroke.
Some years later and my father in-law, although in truth my father in every way, a very active 70 year old, at the gym several days a week, the alpha male in the family and someone we could rely on for the “man jobs” in the house (that I wasn’t allowed near - most of them! 🤣) we would enjoy a beer, watching the football, he was practically my best friend, father, and papa to my children. I watched as Stroke has robbed him of all this and become a shell of a the man he was overnight, bed bound ever since (2021) unable to walk, struggles with vision, unable to concentrate, unable to retain information. It’s heart breaking! It's a cruel thing to happen to a man in a few short hours, robbing him of his dignity, my mother in law of a husband, us of a father, my children of their papa and simply of a friend.
So it’s fair to say that supporting research into stroke, finding ways to make survivors life’s easier is deeply personal to me.
No matter how much you donate, I promise you that every last penny will mean the world to me!
