Stroke survivor becomes runner

Life completely changed for Dave Mokaraka nearly five years ago.

The Papatoetoe resident was working in a call centre, eating two to three pies every day, and living a sedentary lifestyle.

He was watching television one night when he suffered a stroke and ended up in Middlemore Hospital after his sister found him and called an ambulance.

It was the wake-up call he needed. Weighing in at 225 kilograms, he’s now embarked on a healthier lifestyle and he hasn’t looked back, losing nearly 100kgs over the past few years.

He’ll be jogging in this year’s Ports of Auckland Round the Bays event on March 5.

He and his sister are taking on the 8.4 kilometre run for Heart Kids New Zealand.

It’s not his first Round the Bays, he’s previously walked it, but it’s the first time he’ll run the whole thing, and he’s feeling confident about it.

‘‘There’s nothing I like about running,’’ Mokaraka says.

‘‘Once you get into a habit of it, it’s easier. It’s just the difference of knowing that we can walk it and now knowing we can actually run it.’’

Mokaraka goes to the gym regularly, and restricts his meal portion sizes, cutting out pies completely.

He’s working towards a goal weight of 90kg, which he hopes to reach by July. He’s hopeful he won’t need to sleep with a machine to help his sleep apnoea by then as well.

‘‘My biggest fallback was takeaways and bakeries ... it was a very difficult challenge for me to stop myself eating more than I should,’’ he says.

‘‘I’ve got a lot of people encouraging me and keeping me going.

‘‘I’m really inspired by people and the way they motivate me and encourage me to continue on this journey.’’

With regular exercise and a healthier diet, things couldn’t be more different for Mokaraka from the night he had a stroke.

‘‘When they put me through the MRI scan it felt like I was in a coffin,’’ he says.

‘‘I said to myself then if I live that night I would do everything possible to get healthier.

‘‘While it’s been good I still have my ups and downs. I’m a lot more energised now.’’

The Ports of Auckland Round the Bays fun run is an 8.4km course from the Auckland CBD to St Heliers Bay on Sunday, March 5.

‘‘I'm really inspired by people and the way they motivate me and encourageme to continue on this journey.’’