New Year, New Goals

David Morten

"At the age of thirty, I never expected to have a stroke. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened, and a slew of other struggles soon presented themselves during my recovery. As a highly creative writer, I chose to use my skills to help other people in a similar situation so that we can all feel less alone during the aftermath of having a stroke at a young age."

Back when I first left hospital in December 2022, I was told by the stroke team to set myself some goals to help aid in my recovery. At the start of 2023 I needed a stick to walk from one side of my living room to the other, so there was obviously a lot of things I wanted to achieve. I sat down and casually named three important things I wanted to do that seemed to be within reach – and I have been lucky enough to do them all.

Naturally, the beginning of 2024 has made me want to set myself a new set of goals to achieve by the end of the coming year. I think it is important to share these goals and what I achieved previously to give other stroke survivors some guidance on what can be achieved in such a time frame

Goals for 2023

Make It To My Wedding

As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, my stroke happened just five days before my wedding. This meant that we had to reschedule everything for October 2023 – and I wasn’t going to miss out this time! It was a difficult journey, but I finally made it to the big day – without having to use my stick too, which was a nice bonus.

Get On A Plane

I am not much of a jetsetter, nor have I ever been great at travelling. In the past I have only ever gone on short trips to Europe or to see something specific in the UK for a holiday. However, my wife and I have been trying to visit Rome ever since the pandemic hit, so we made it our mission to head out there for our honeymoon. Unfortunately, the idea of flying after having a stroke did start to make me nervous.

Luckily, one of our friends got married in Sardinia back in September. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to tick off one of my goals and head overseas. Being unable to fly would leave me feeling more isolated than I already do, so I am now grateful that I have the opportunity to go wherever I want and see the world again.

Walk To The Hairdressers And Get A Haircut

When I first woke up in hospital after my stroke, I found that the surgeons had shaved off lumps of my hair to perform surgery. As a result, I needed to get my hair cut when I returned home. My local hairdresser is not far from me; just a short walk up a hill. However, after leaving hospital I had to be driven to my next appointment.

This reality made me feel quite low, so I made the decision that I would be walking to get my next haircut when the time came. Sadly, the hairdresser I used shut down shortly after this, so I had to be driven elsewhere to sort out my mop. Fortunately, a new owner moved into the space recently and kept the shop as a barber. As such, I was finally able to walk up that hill without my stick and get my haircut on the 23^rd of December to complete all my goals for 2023.

Goals for 2024

Go For A Run

Exercising is not something that has been easy since I had my stroke, nor has it ever been anything I have particularly enjoyed. I can use a stationary bike and lift weights, but these activities still restrict me to the home. Also, being able to go for a walk is nice for now, but I feel I am ready to go one step further.

That is why I have booked some additional physio for the start of the year to hopefully give me the coordination and motivation to start running once again. I am not aiming to complete a marathon by the end of the year, but it would be nice to go for a jog around the block before 2024 ends.

Swim In The Ocean

Swimming has always been one of my favourite ways to stay in shape. However, I was unable to join my friends in the ocean when we travelled to Italy last year. While I was perfectly content just standing in the sea with my stick while on holiday, I feel it would be nice to do something I found so impossible last year.

I am not bothered about which ocean I swim in. I am also not bothered by how long I spend in the water. However, one of my goals is now to head into the sea without any help just to show how far I have improved.

Drive

My last goal for 2024 is dependent on my financial well-being as much as my physical recovery, but it is still a good goal to have. I first passed my driving test in 2011 and then went off to university. This means that I am yet to drive my own car in over ten years.

My current well-being means that I will need to drive an automatic car now, and I may even need to pass a Driveability course. Despite these issues, getting back on the road will give me a sense of freedom I have missed for a long time.

There is no pressure, but these are all the things I would like to achieve in 2024. I would encourage anyone else on the road to recovery to also think of some personal goals for this year, no matter how small, as it really helps to show how far you have come in such a short time.

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