A RACE TO SAVE #PRECIOUSTIME
“Human life is like a race where he is bound to run against time and fight for his life” – Titikhiya
We run the clock every day and in everything we do, don’t we, because we have been told “time is precious”. This is even more accurate for saving an individual after a cerebrovascular accident: time is what matters.
LEARN THE SIGNS. SAY IT’S A STROKE.
ACT F. A. S. T.
According to the World Stroke Organization, stroke has reached an epidemic proportion: globally there are over 101 million people currently living who have experienced a stroke. A stroke is an emergency situation and the faster you help an individual to receive effective treatment the better. This can prevent long-term disability and save lives, mobility, independence, speech, and memories. Although it is not possible to foresee a stroke happening, we can detect its symptoms.
The #PRECIOUSTIME saved has been a major impact on my father’s life and recovery. I am grateful for my mother and her swift reaction to act FAST also for all the medical professionals (doctors, therapists, nurses at the hospital and rehabilitation centre) who were tremendously helpful and supportive at each stage of his recovery. We can’t reshape the past, but we can raise awareness of acting FAST to save more lives and minimise brain damage.
The #PRECIOUSTIME is also about life after a stroke. There is no manual “stroke for dummies” and caring for someone throughout their path to recovery isn’t something that we naturally plan for nor have been trained to do. Just like my mother and me it comes out of the blue, you fall straight upon it, you learn and live with it. Giving your #PRECIOUSTIME and patience to your survivor at that most complex moment of their life is the best treatment for recovery.
For the survivors and the carers, the recovery is a long and bumpy marathon. Similarly, running a marathon is about racing against the clock. It is a journey and progress that is never linear but always challenging. The global average time for a marathon stands at approximatively 4 ½ hours according to Run Repeat. This timing is comparable to the crucial 4 hours thrombolytic time window given to most ischemic stroke patients to receive an alteplase (tPA) treatment. As an ode to all survivors and the carers, my partner and I will be running the Phuket marathon in June 2023 to raise funds to support the World Stroke Organization in their efforts to raise the awareness of strokes and action on stroke prevention, treatment and support while spreading the awareness of the rule of “FAST”.
Our plans leading up to the marathon in June include:
- Campaigning: spread awareness of our fundraising off-line to our friends and family, and also online throughout our online social media pages such as LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
- Fundraising: create and develop an online fundraising/donation page to be run and shared in our circle of friends, family and also social media pages until the marathon day.
- Training: for my first marathon, as Mark has already experienced running a marathon before, our weekly training for the next 5 months will follow a very basic one yet effective (hopefully):
- One short, faster and intense run — approx. 5-6km
- One medium at comfortable pace/speed run — approx. 9-10km
- One long and slow run — building up km per km from 15km to 35km once a week
- In between our runs, Mark does gym sessions and me yoga to stretch our body muscles and relax the mind. Together, we play in duo some squash every weekend.
Nurani and Mark's fundraising page: https://gogetfunding.com/race-precioustime/
We'll soon be posting our progress on social media:
Facebook
Nu Rani
LinkedIn
Nurani Tupajka
Mark Copley
UPDATE: Nurani and Mark completed the full marathon of Laguna Phuket in June. 'It wasn’t quite a walk at the park but perseverance, motivation and mental strength have helped us to make it to the finishing line' says Nurani. WSO would like to thank Nurani and Mark for their fundraising efforts and for the donation of $1,550.
MINUTES CAN SAVE LIVES. SAVE #PRECIOUSTIME