Five years ago, out of the blue, Chris Moon aged only 29 suffered a stroke. When he woke up, he could not talk and had to learn to communicate from scratch. He still has weekly speech-therapy sessions but, aided by determination to live a full life, he is back working as a carpenter and showing few apparent ill-effects. Nonetheless, for the first 12-18 months every day was a battle and he will struggle with fatigue for the rest of his life.
Inspired by his brother, Nick Moon got involved in this year’s London Marathon.
Following surgical reconstruction of his knee in 2014 Nick had never imagined that he would be able to do so – but he wanted a real challenge to show Chris how proud he was of his brother’s recovery.
At Nick’s first training run he managed two-and-a-half miles; metaphorically and literally he had a long way to go. Running had to be fitted round managing a shop and being in a family with two children but eventually he achieved longer and longer distances – although, until the day, never the full marathon.
“The highs,” Nick said, “were finishing something I didn’t think I would be able to do; becoming a lot fitter; and experiencing a real mental health benefit following the recent loss of one of my oldest friends. The lows were the first few months of training, when everything hurt, and I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with my fitness.”
At the time of publication Nick has raised a magnificent £4,500 for the Stroke Association and summed up: “This is definitely one of the proudest achievements of my life and to see my kids’ faces at the twenty-three-mile mark made every step worth it.”
If you wish to contribute to his fund-raising, here is the link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nicholas-moon1
Image Credits: Helen Brown .