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The story
In May 2006 I was working in Germany when I received a
missed call message from my dad. As I dialled into the
voicemail system I sensed immediately that it may be bad
news as my parents rarely call when I am away something
told me something was wrong. Unfortunately the picture that
was painted by my dad about the circumstances of the
previous 24 hours was more shocking than I could have
envisaged.
My brother in law Steve, husband to my sister Clare for
13 years and who was 36 at the time, had been involved in a
serious cycling accident whilst cycling alone on his
mountain bike. Steve had been knocked unconscious for an
hour before being found by a fellow cyclist and had been
taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder and broken
elbow. Whilst severe, the injuries where not life
threatening and later that day with his arm plastered and
shoulder re- inserted he was told he’d be
discharged.
Just as the final drugs were being dispensed, Steve complained of a tingling in his fingers and, after being assessed by a doctor, was told that as a precaution he would be kept in overnight for observation. Clare drove home to where my parents were looking after George, 9, and Emily, 7, to tell them Steve would be in hospital overnight.
As reported by the nurses on duty that night, at 6.30am
Steve suffered a bought of coughing and was severely sick
and nurses noticed a loss of movement and speech. Steve was
immediately sent for a CT scan. Unbeknown to the medical
staff, a blood clot that had formed in Steve’s neck
as he lay unconscious earlier in the day had been dislodged
and had made its way to his brain causing a huge stroke. A
large part of Steve’s brain was starved of oxygen
filled blood causing severe brain damage and total loss of
speech as well as near total paralysis.
The next few hours were a blur of doctors, bed transfers, specialist brain units, operations, tests and of course extreme worry as to whether dad and husband Steve would even pull through. After 3 days in intensive care Clare was told Steve’s life was not now in danger but that he was likely never to walk or talk again as the brain scan revealed that a large part of his brain had been damaged through lack of oxygen.
The Steve that I met once I had returned from Germany was a very different one than he had enjoyed a beer with a few weeks before. The cheeky, cheerful, energetic sportsman who has already raised over £8000 through 2 charity bike rides stared emotionlessly from his wheel chair unable to talk. The right hand side of his face drooped as the damaged neuro-muscular connections to the whole of the right hand side of his body failed to control the various muscles. Conversation was impossible as was my ability to hide my emotions. After an hour alone with Steve the shock and enormity of what he had gone through and what he and the family faced hit home and I shed many tears as I drove home to Brighton.
Two years later things are much better. Steve has received almost daily speech and physiotherapy and his improvement has been incredible. The facial neuro-muscular connection returned and slowly word by word his speech improved. At the time of writing Steve can understand a conversation and given time say a few words and make himself understood. Physically he is in good condition and against many peoples advice trained for and took part in a charity bike ride in Peru for Macmillan Cancer research on a specially adapted recumbent bike with friends he had met prior to his accident.
I decided almost immediately after his accident that I would organise an event the donations from which would go to charities funding the rehabilitation of younger stroke victims and Cycle Europe 2008 was born. Over the last 20 months, and with the help of my girlfriend Chloe who gave up her job to help me, I have been organising the event. Through the generosity of a wide variety of companies and individuals our 3000 mile adventure – Cycle Europe 2008 – launches on Thursday 19th June from the offices of Visit London. Cycle Europe 2008 and will see me and Steve’s friend Marco Barcella attempt to cycle over 3000 miles through 9 countries in 91 days returning to London on September 18th with the goal of raising £20,000 European stroke charities.
Thank you for your interest and for being so generous.
Jon
Jon Bradshaw
Organiser
Cycle Europe 2008