Devoted father to skydive to raise money for stroke victims

David Watson was just 30-years-old, and at home with his partner and 9-year-old daughter, when he woke up collapsed by his bed unable to move.

David’s father Alan, 63, and sister Jennifer will complete a skydive to raise as much money as possible for The Stroke Association on Saturday, August 8.

He said: “David’s stroke came completely out of the blue for both me and my wife, with no warning whatsoever. When his partner called me in the early morning to say that David couldn’t move his legs, I thought he must had done something to his back, so told her to call an ambulance and I jumped in my car to drive over to them.

“When I got there, the paramedics were already there and ready to take David to hospital. I stayed with my granddaughter while David and his partner went to the hospital.

“It was a really scary time for the whole family. My wife and I were terrified about what had happened to our son.”

David spent 10 days in Lister Hospital where he was treated for his stroke.

David was then transferred to Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust in Welwyn Garden City, where he worked on his rehabilitation and strength for two weeks.

He has now returned to work who specifically acquired a small van so he was able to take on smaller jobs and work shorter hours.

Alan added: “It was my sister Jennifer who came up with the idea to take part in the sky dive for charity. I quite like a challenge, so I thought it was a great opportunity to take on a sky dive whilst helping to raise awareness.

“We set ourselves the target of £500, and have amazingly already raised over £1,000! My family are really keen to raise awareness of this horrible condition, so more work can be done to help conquer strokes.

“No parent wants to see their child in such a vulnerable way like we did with David.

“Thankfully David was so determined that he has made a remarkable recovery, but there still will be ongoing challenges he will face after his stroke. We want this money to go towards helping more stroke survivors and families who have to come face to face with stroke.”

To support Alan and Jennifer and to donate to the Stroke Association visit www.justgiving.com/Alan-Watson4

For more information about stroke, visit www.stroke.org.uk or call our helpline on 0303 303 3100