Hi Guys,
Some of you may have noticed the Cycle Europe 08 reference on my signature tag. Their website is
http://www.Cycle-Europe2008.comEssentially it's an around Europe bike ride (9 countries, 3000 miles, 91 days) to raise money for young stroke victims.
A stroke which we automatically associate with older people is hard enough to come to terms with as it is, but when you are young, with young children, it can be so much more devastating. Imagine one day being the loving parent with a wonderful relationship with your kids and then the next not being able to communicate with them. How hard it must be to form the words in your head and for them not to come out, for you to reach out to hold and cuddle your son or daughter and your body not respond. And how hard it must be for the child who is not old enough to understand what a stroke is and have (in their eyes) their parent withdraw from them.
The two guys doing the cycle ride are Jon Bradshaw and Marco Barcella. The inspiration behind the ride is Jon's brother-in-law and Marco's friend Steve Steere who at the age of 36 had a cycling accident whilst training. He had a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist but wasn't too bad. However in hospital a blood clot that had formed in his neck was dislodged by a simple cough and made its way to his brain causing a huge stroke. A large part of Steve’s brain was starved of oxygen filled blood causing severe brain damage and total loss of speech as well as near total paralysis.
Two years later things are much better. Steve has received almost daily speech and physiotherapy and his improvement has been incredible. The facial neuro-muscular connection returned and slowly word by word his speech improved. Jon states on the website that Steve can understand a conversation and given time say a few words and make himself understood. Physically he is in good condition and against many peoples advice trained for and took part in a charity bike ride in Peru for Macmillan Cancer research on a specially adapted recumbent bike with friends he had met prior to his accident.
This became Jon's inspiration for Cycle Europe 08. They are currently in the south of France. Please have a look at the website, and perhaps have a read of their blog. There are lots of pics on there (stop drooling girls!!!) and a map of their progress. If you are touched by what they are doing then please leave them a donation (however small - it all adds up) or at least leave them a message of encouragement by adding a comment to their latest blog (they do read them).
Thanks Merx.
Quite phenomenal really, especially when you consider the great sprinters over the years that he has come along and blown the WR away, and could have gone 9.6 or so if he'd not been showboating the last 10 metres 
