Making goals and fundraising

Hi everyone I’m a 38 year old survivor of a double carotid dissection TIA in June this year. 

When the doctors started talking about life going forward (and I was leaning on my fiancée to walk across the hall to get to the loo), I was almost as scared of the potential loss of independence as I had been during the diagnostic stages of the event. 

Thankfully that fear was largely misplaced. I’ve full control of my limbs again and while there’s some weakness on my left side, it’s already strong enough for daily tasks.

I’ve a bit of work to do on my voice - I have a left vocal fold palsy. So my voice is a bit higher pitched and somewhat gravelly but Speech Pathology is going well so far.

One of my first thoughts in hospital was that I needed a goal to keep me moving forward (quite literally). I contacted the organisers of Hobart’s point to pinnacle race - it’s a half marathon from Wrest Point Casino to the summit of Mt Wellington/kunanyi. Typically entrants elect to run or walk it, I’ve been allowed to set my own staggered event wherein I’ll break it into manageable sectors and undertake the course over a few days. I’m hoping  I can do it in 3 blocks of 7km (with rest days interspersed).

Prior to the stroke, I considered myself fit but certainly not an athlete. The other major attraction to this event is that they facilitate fundraising by entrants. I’ve nominated the stroke foundation as my beneficiary and set a $10,000 goal (at the moment, I’d love to increase the target!) I’m hoping folks who use this site might be able to share my fundraising page to help spread the word and make that target achievable.

https://pointtopinnacle19.everydayhero.com/au/matt-picone

I hope this post is in keeping with the rules, I couldn’t see anything that would suggest it’s not.

I have also made a poster which I’ve been putting up around town, it has a QR code so people can scan it and go straight to the fundraising page too. Please feel free to download and print it to stick up in cafes/lunchrooms or anywhere you might have access to that might get some attention.

Cheers!