The race is on to help local stroke victims

Saturday 28 February 2015

Two stroke survivors are making a marathon effort to help support others who have suffered a stroke.

Anthony Lewis and Nicole Le Miere have both signed up to run the tenth Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon this October.

Anthony walked the 26.2 mile-route in stages five years ago after suffering a massive stroke in 2007 that left him with severe aphasia and unable to use his right leg, arm or hand. He’s put in hours with his physio and has now regained partial use of his right leg. He’s now able to jog 20 laps of the pitches at FB Fields and is determined to run the whole race this year.

Nicole, who is a full-time teacher, had a stroke completely out of the blue, at the age of 29. An artery in her neck dissected which stopped the blood supply to her brain for a period of time, leaving her unable to swallow, walk and speak clearly.

Six years on, nerve damage means she has no feeling down the left lower side of her body and she still has a lot of pain in her left leg but it hasn’t stopped her cycling all the way from London to Paris. She’s now joined forces with Anthony to train and prepare for the big run on Sunday 4 October.

All funds raised by this year’s runners will be split equally between Stroke Association Jersey and Standard Chartered’s own global initiative “Seeing is Believing” that works to tackle unavoidable blindness.

Standard Chartered Chief Executive Officer Jersey Richard Ingle said: “Standard Chartered is very proud to have reintroduced the Jersey Marathon to the Island and to have seen the event grow and develop as we approach its 10^th anniversary.   We are particularly pleased to have been able to raise awareness and valuable funds for a variety of good causes.”

“I am delighted that the Stroke Association is the charity to benefit alongside Seeing is Believing this year.  Many families, including my own, have been impacted by stroke and I’m sure that many people will be inspired to take part and contribute to this year’s Standard Chartered Marathon event."

Last year at least 125 people in Jersey had a stroke. The condition kills twice as many women as breast cancer and one and a half times the number of men as prostate and testicular cancer combined. The Stroke Association in Jersey is calling on everyone across the Island to sign up and get involved in this year’s Marathon so that it can continue to help support every local stroke survivor and their families.

Chairman of the Stroke Association in Jersey Ian Black said: “We are enormously grateful to the Standard Chartered Marathon organisers for giving us this vital opportunity to raise funds for, and raise awareness of, stroke in Jersey.  A stroke can happen in an instant but the effects can last a lifetime.  We want everyone in Jersey to receive the best possible stroke care, from prevention and treatment through to support for life after stroke.  Having the support of organisations like Standard Chartered is key to making this possible.”

You can enter this year’s race and donate to the event’s official charities here.