In 2017, Emillie Parsons-Hann’s grandad suffered a huge stroke (in which the doctors prepared her family for the worst and told them very few people survive a stroke like that.) Despite the odds he survived but he was left with extremely impaired use of the left side of his body. Emillie’s grandad went from being an active, independent, proud man – to dependent and limited overnight. Over the last 7 years, he has suffered another two heart attacks and was recently declared clinically dead for over 4 minutes before being resuscitated.
Last year, her uncle also suffered a stroke at the age of 60. He went from playing the guitar, cracking jokes, and caring for others that needed help to being the person that needed care himself. He now lives in an assisted living unit, has been left in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, has extremely limited use of his entire body, and suffers from incredibly impaired speech and memory.
“These strokes haven’t just affected my uncle and grandad—they’ve deeply impacted my entire family, who have had to witness and navigate the challenges that followed. The way that strokes can strip everything from a person in seconds is incredibly scary. I’m 20 years old and currently a student at the University of Warwick, and I want to take on a challenge that makes me truly grateful for my health and body – to push myself to my physical limits the way that they have both been,” Emillie explains.
“£2000 is my fundraising target and it would be incredible to get as close to that as possible. I will be trying to get some physical collection pots to put up round town when I am back from uni, and will be getting some posters up in windows if anyone would be so kind as to donate.
To support Emillie visit JustGiving – https://events.stroke.org.uk/fundraisers/emillieparsons-hann/london-marathon-2025-charity
Emillie Parsons-Hann.
