Peter’s marathon run for stroke-survivor wife
Newbury employee sets his sights on fundraising target of £3,500
A MAN is planning to take on the London Marathon for his wife, who is a stroke survivor.
Peter Holden, 57, is a bowel cancer survivor himself and will be taking on the challenge in April.
The site manager for Cleanova Filtration in Newbury is hoping to raise £3,500 for the Stroke Association, which supported his wife Lorraine and their family after her strokes.
Mrs Holden, 59 had three strokes in 2022 and was supported by the Stroke Association’s Hampshire Communication Support Service.
Her first stroke happened on the first day of a family holiday in Spain.
She said: “It was supposed to be chill out time after a stressful few years with Pete’s cancer.
“The hardest thing is why. Why did these things happen to us?”
Mrs Holden spent two weeks in a local hospital before coming back to the UK.
Three months later, she suffered another stroke.
And two months after that, she had her third stroke.
As an administrative assistant in an NHS hospital and a long-term foster carer, she used to enjoy being busy and prided herself on her organisational skills.
But her strokes left her with aphasia and she forgot words while speaking to her 16-year-old foster daughter.
She could no longer read and write and she experienced extreme fatigue, trouble concentrating and forgetfulness.
She described living in a state of fear and anxiety that another stroke would occur, she was unable to work, didn’t feel confident leaving the house and said the isolation spiralled her into depression.
Since her second stroke, she received support from the Stroke Association in the form of one-onone support, communication workshops and an online conversation group.
She praised coordinator, Jess, who visited her at home, and said: “I felt she understood what I was going through and gave me time to communicate.
“Our group really helps.
“I like that we have a laugh and you can talk without somebody trying to talk for you.
“Other people don’t always understand strokes.
“When I put my make-up on then I look normal because I don’t have something physically wrong with me like a cut, but inside I sometimes feel unwell or very tired.”
Mr Holden’s fundraising page can be found at https://shorturl.at/ hrEIJ
Any money raised exceeding the target will go to Bowel Cancer UK.