A Wagga Wagga nurse is making her moves count this month, in honour of her dad Peter who had a stroke in 2020.
Elly Debritt says it was during covid in 2020 when stroke changed their family’s life.
“The doctors called it a catastrophic stroke, it impacted both sides of his brain and was very serious,” Elly said.
“My mum is also a nurse, she’s the one who found him. But no amount of nursing experience could have prepared us for that. It was devastating.”
Peter has since recovered, but Elly wants more people to know about the signs of stroke, and wants survivors of stroke to receive better support when they leave the hospital, which is why she is participating in Stroke Foundation’s major annual fundraiser, Stride4Stroke.
The event sees participants increase their ‘moving minutes,’ by setting an activity to complete within the month, from walking, running, swimming, cycling, or setting a goal in stroke rehabilitation. Elly is increasing her moving minutes by walking her two dogs around Lake Albert.
“Mum and dad are really proud that I’m doing this. It’s good for me, good for the dogs and it’s important to make more people aware of stroke,” Elly said.
“My dad’s experience has taught me that sometimes disabilities aren’t always evident, sometimes they are invisible.”
Peter is among the 145,000 survivors of stroke living in New South Wales.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy applauded Elly for her efforts this November and urged all Australians to make their moves count.
“We know that 80 per cent of strokes are preventable and taking steps to adopt a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk,” Dr Murphy said.
“Stride4Stroke is a great starting point to make the changes that can reduce your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes which are all modifiable risk factors of stroke.”
One million strokes a year globally are linked to physical inactivity.
Stride4Stroke runs throughout November. Every dollar raised will have an enormous impact by helping Stroke Foundation fight stroke, fund research and support survivors and their families at all stages of the recovery journey.
