Making a difference to a stroke survivor

I was touched by the story of one of our Rise participants who we helped to regain his mobility and confidence .

Last Christmas Geoff, at the age of 61, suffered two strokes in quick succession. Like many in this situation, he was fit and was a regular gym-goer.

Geoff’s second stroke was major and left him paralysed down the right hand side leaving Geoff unable to walk or use his arm and hand. His left hand side had already been impacted by the first stroke.

Following a lengthy stay in hospital Geoff’s rehabilitation began and that’s where Rise got involved following a referral from Lauren Heath at the the Stroke Association.

Geoff attends weekly group sessions with Rise Cardiff East’s Matt Davis at a local venue, The Caerau and Ely Hub. These are funded by are funded by Sport Cardiff’s Move More initiative.

Each week the group members take part in exercises and activities based on sports such as football, rugby, tennis and hockey to name just a few. These are adapted to suit the abilities of those taking part.

Speaking about his recovery, Geoff said, “The Stroke Association have been a huge support and put me on the right path.

“One of the best things they did was introduce me to Matt and the team at Rise and their fabulous sports-based programme.

“It’s easy to be isolated following a stroke. I lost all my confidence and I have to say that Matt has been great at building me up again.

“He focuses on each of us as individuals and the way he works is really clever. I love the Rise sessions, the social interactions and the feeling of belonging to a group. It’s been great fun and the sessions are really helping with my mobility.

?“A stroke is no fun but I consider myself to be lucky. I received the medical attention I needed and am now getting great support with both my mental and physical wellbeing.

“I can’t thank Matt enough for building up my confidence and to the rest of the Rise team for everything that they do.”