Stripes for city charity

STROKE impacts thousands of Queenslanders each year and Coralie Graham knows that better than most.

Her son Joel Shepherd suffered a brain injury when he was three-years-old which affected his motor skills and his ability to communicate.

In 2014 Mr Shepherd and his family flew to Los Angeles to undergo a revolutionary reverse stroke treatment to reduce the swelling on his brain.

Thanks to three rounds of Perispinal Etanercept treatment Mr Shepherd can walk independently and his conversation skills have improved.

Shortly after, Ms Graham started a charity, the Stroke Recovery Trial Fund.

The charity is helping fund a Perispinal Etanercept clinical trial at Griffith University, in the hopes of bringing the treatment to Australia.

There were 364 people from the Toowoomba region hospitalised due to a stroke in the 2016/2017 financial year and Ms Graham wants to raise awareness of the impact it can have.

As part of National Stroke Week, which runs from September 4 to 10 she is encouraging people to wear Stripes 4 Stroke this Friday.

“We’re asking locals to wear stripes to work, or school, or to whatever they’re doing,” she said.

“It’s a bit of fun, but we hope it will get people talking about strokes, as well as supporting our efforts to find a treatment.”

PHOTO: KEVIN FARMER STROKE RECOVERY: Joel Shepherd is able to walk to his mum Coralie Graham after returning from reverse shock therapy in the United States. Ms Graham hopes to raise money to bring the treatment to Australia.