Five years ago, out of the blue, Chris Moon aged only 29 suffered a stroke. When he woke up, he could not talk and had to learn to communicate from scratch. He still has weekly speech-therapy sessions but, aided by determination to live a full life, he is back working as a carpenter and showing few apparent ill-effects. Nonetheless, for the first 12-18 months every day was a battle and he will struggle with fatigue for the rest of his life.
Inspired by his brother, Nick Moon got involved in this year’s London Marathon.
![](https://www.ryenews.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Nick-and-his-brother-Chris-225x300.jpg)
Following surgical reconstruction of his knee in 2014 Nick had never imagined that he would be able to do so – but he wanted a real challenge to show Chris how proud he was of his brother’s recovery.
At Nick’s first training run he managed two-and-a-half miles; metaphorically and literally he had a long way to go. Running had to be fitted round managing a shop and being in a family with two children but eventually he achieved longer and longer distances – although, until the day, never the full marathon.
“The highs,” Nick said, “were finishing something I didn’t think I would be able to do; becoming a lot fitter; and experiencing a real mental health benefit following the recent loss of one of my oldest friends. The lows were the first few months of training, when everything hurt, and I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with my fitness.”
At the time of publication Nick has raised a magnificent £4,500 for the Stroke Association and summed up: “This is definitely one of the proudest achievements of my life and to see my kids’ faces at the twenty-three-mile mark made every step worth it.”
If you wish to contribute to his fund-raising, here is the link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nicholas-moon1
Image Credits: Helen Brown .