Helen Woodhouse had a stroke while on her regular morning run

At age 33 Helen Woodhouse had a stroke while on her regular morning run.

“I was in training for my first half marathon and I was the fittest and healthiest I had ever been, but somehow I took a wrong turn and veered off course,’’ Helen said.

“I couldn’t think straight and called my husband Ben. I was slurring my words. Ben couldn’t understand what I was saying. He immediately picked me up and convinced me to go to hospital.” 

Doctors quickly diagnosed Helen’s stroke and she was given clot busting treatment. This treatment stopped the stroke. Helen survived the stroke with little physical impact however Helen admits the stroke had a huge impact on her confidence.

“It was a traumatic experience and it took me a long time to feel like myself again”, she said. 

Less than 12 months later, Helen was back running, this time training for the Gold Coast Marathon. Helen set a goal to take part in the Gold Coast Marathon and hoped to raise $5,000 for the Stroke Foundation. In July 2018, with the help of her friends and family, Helen smashed her fundraising goal and raised over $9,000.

If you would like to join Team Stroke in one of the fun runs please click here.