One step at a time…

None of us will ever forget 2020/21 and the impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on our lives. All of us have been impacted in some way. But some have been hit doubly hard, having to deal with a health crisis that is nothing to do with COVID-19 but nevertheless, has to be managed within a time of COVID with all the added challenges that presents.

In October 2020, Alison, one of our long-serving and valued employees, who has worked in our sales team, and admin team before that for eighteen years, suffered a catastrophic stroke. This was devastating for Alison, her family and friends, and her wider family here at Shufflebottom.  Her work colleagues and customers were naturally shocked and saddened and have been closely monitoring her progress and receiving regular updates from her husband Matthew and her daughters, Amber and Sophie.

Alison suffered an Ischaemic Stroke caused by a clot on the right hand side of the brain which cut off blood supply and caused swelling and pressure on the skull. This resulted in an emergency craniotomy at University of Wales Hospital, Cardiff, to remove part of the skull to relieve pressure, and necessitated Alison being put in an induced coma. Following this, she was transferred to Neath and Port Talbot Hospital where she is receiving physical therapy as she has been left with weakness on the left hand side of her body. She is now waiting for more surgery – a cranioplasty – where a titanium plate will replace the part of her skull that was removed.

Alison’s family have had to leave Alison to endure this alone because of COVID restrictions. And yet, Alison is making huge progress, learning how to eat solid foods again and learning how to improve her mobility.

But it is a long, hard journey and her family know that when she comes home (hopefully at the end of May 2021) they will all have to work together to help Alison realise her long-term goals of being able to walk unaided, carry out everyday tasks, and once again be the young and active 47-year-old woman, wife, and mother to 2 children of 16 and 20, they want her to be again.

Alison’s ‘work family’ here at Shufflebottom wants to show its support for Alison and her family and so this year’s 500 Challenge sees everyone putting their best foot forward to clock-up 500 miles and in doing so,  raise money through sponsorship. Those involved are committed to this Challenge. Every step they take, or every mile covered – whether it is walking, running, cycling, horse-riding, or even miles on the golf course, all count in raising much-needed funds to help Alison on the road to recovery. All monies raised through this challenge will go towards Stroke rehabilitation whether it is one of the many hospital wards that have been home to Alison these long, dark months or perhaps for specialist equipment. Every pound raised will make a difference.

We’re off to a great start. We set an initial target of £2,500 and we’ve already reached 44% of that total and raised £1,120 with just 28 supporters. We know that this Challenge is close to people’s hearts and your support will help support Alison and her family and go a great way towards strengthening their morale and getting Alison back on track. You can donate by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shuff500. Every little will go a long way in getting to the final line and perhaps beyond.

Before signing off, some context:

There are 1,200,000 stroke survivors in the UK.

Over 100,000 people in the UK suffer a stroke each year.

Someone has a stroke every 5 minutes.

To learn more about strokes, receive support, or get involved in the work of the UK Stroke Association, please visit www.stroke.org.uk