Stroke survivor on 3 km walk to raise money for Stepping Hill stroke unit

After a stroke in the early hours of Christmas Day 2022, Andy Shaw is walking 3 km to raise money for the stroke ward at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust through Stockport NHS Charity.

Before his stroke, Andy was healthy and active. He had served in the army and then worked as a police officer for 25 years. But on Christmas Eve, he developed a blinding headache. He collapsed after waking up in the night, luckily waking his wife, Bernadette, who called an ambulance. Andy was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the blood clot in his brain that was responsible for the stroke.

However, the surgery did not go to plan. Doctors informed Bernadette that the clot was too big to remove. They would have to do another operation to remove part of Andy’s skull and release pressure on his brain, but Andy was likely to be left severely disabled.

A few weeks later, Andy was moved to Stepping Hill Hospital, run by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, to continue his recovery on the E1 stroke ward. He said:

“Everybody was dead nice. The volunteers were brilliant, and every single member of staff took the time to get to know me. I think I was the nurses’ favourite.”

Bernadette added:

“They were brilliant with family too. It was a stressful time, but the staff made it so much easier. They let us order pizzas on a Friday, and we spent lots of time sat out in the ward garden on nice days.”

Andy spent four months on the stroke ward. When he first arrived, he was still very unwell. He could barely talk, was missing half his skull, and certainly couldn’t walk. But thanks to a combination of expert clinical care and rehabilitation, support from family and friends, and his own determination, Andy has made a recovery that was never thought possible after the initial prognosis after his first surgery.

Three years after he was discharged, Andy feels ready to take on a new challenge:

“The ward staff were so good to me, I just wanted to do something to give something back. I worked in the public sector for nearly 30 years. It’s easy to criticise, but it’s important to talk about people like me who’ve had good experiences.”

Working with his walking group and a personal trainer who specialises in stroke survivors, Andy has been training to walk 3km to raise money for Stockport NHS Charity, which will go towards improving facilities for future patients on the stroke ward.

Andy has already hit £1,500 in donations, smashing his initial goal of raising £500.

Kate Leadbeater, Stockport NHS Charity Manager, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful that Andy has decided to commit to this challenge for our charity. It’s a testament to the hard work of our incredible staff, who make a difference to patients like Andy every single day. He’s doing an amazing job with his training, and we’ll be rooting for him all the way to the end!”

Around 15 family members and friends are expected to join Andy on the walk, as well as members of staff who looked after him on the stroke ward. Andy said:

“I want people to know that I’m working hard and I’m going to do it. I’m nervous, I’ll be tired, and I don’t know how long it will take me, but I’m confident I can do it.”

To support Andy’s fundraising challenge visit his JustGiving page.