DG Partner Charity 2017/18 - Different Strokes
Firstly I would like to thank the Clubs who have donated to Different Strokes, either to me or via Lion Linda Picton and the District Charity Account. It has now been confirmed that we will be having two representatives from the charity at the Convention in March. We are also hoping that their local branch will man an information desk in the exhibition area.
I know that the DG Team has told you an abbreviated version of my story so I would like to give you more details.
Our daughter Beth was born on 7 February 2002, I didn’t feel right straight away but the hospital fobbed me off with "You’ve just had a baby, you will not feel normal". I have two older children so I knew the feeling was different from when I had them. I was sent home the next day and still did not feel right but could not put my finger on what was wrong. Nine days later, when Peter finished work, he took Beth for a walk in her pram. While he was out I remember feeling scared, knowing something had happened but not sure what.
Peter was not out for long and as soon as he returned he saw that my face had drooped on the right side, I couldn’t talk and he says he could see how scared my eyes were. He knew what had happened and immediately called 999. A paramedic, followed by an ambulance, arrived and I was rushed to Poole Hospital. That evening I had two more strokes and was in the high dependency unit for several days.
I cannot fault the care I received but I recall that I could not remember how to do anything. I ended up watching all the Winter Olympics, not because I was enjoying it but because I didn’t know how to change the channel! I could only say the word ‘yes’ so I answered that to every question. Peter tells me that some nurses would ask me my name and where I was and ‘yes’ was duly recorded on my chart. However they phrased the questions, the answer was always the same. Peter noticed, before the medical staff, that they were asking the wrong questions.
I did make quite a quick partial recovery and was allowed home after ten days. Thank goodness, my mother and Peter were there as I had to re-learn everything. There was no support for younger stroke victims then since the Stroke Association was there for older victims.
I have made a good recovery and most people who meet me would not know my past but I was lucky, both with my family support and that Peter did push me to achieve more than I thought I could. There are many stroke sufferers much worse off than me and we came across a support group for younger stroke victims called Different Strokes at the Lions MD Conventions in Manchester and Eastbourne. They really do support younger victims with, among other things, advice lines, a Facebook group and local meetings.
Please ask your Club to consider a donation towards this amazing charity to enable them to increase the work they do. Thanks to your generosity we are hoping to present a significant sum to them at the Convention in Portsmouth.
Lion Debbie Burnett
In recent years the outstanding totals below have been raised for the DG Partner Charity.
| Year | Totals | Charity |
| 2016 -17 | £6,133 | Special Olympics GB |
| 2015 -16 | £3,900 | Brain Tumour Research |
| 2014 -15 | £1,946 | One Shot One Life, Measles |
| 2013 -14 | £4,595 | Missing People |
| 2012 -13 | £4,753 | Hope For Tomorrow |
| 2011 -12 | £3,441 | Canine Partners |
