Queen Alexandra Hospital former patient who suffered a stroke is going to take part in Superhero Triathlon

Two years on from suffering a severe Lucana stroke, which left him paralysed on the left side of his body, Steve Warwick, 53, is going to take part in a Superhero Triathlon which consists of swimming 150m, cycling 3km and running 1k.

He is raising money for the Lotus Rehab Ward at QA and is hoping that he will be able to achieve his goal of £1,500 to go towards the Portsmouth Hospitals Charity to give back to the people that helped him when he experienced his stroke in 2020.

He said: ‘The stroke put me in QA Hospital with the left side of my body paralysed. Without the quick response from the ambulance and hospital staff, my life could have been a lot different.

‘I was given a poor prognosis, but I’ve worked hard with my physiotherapists to get back to work and get ready to participate in the Superhero Triathlon on August 20.’

Steve, from Fareham, is going to be completing the triathlon alongside Gemma Brown, a specialist neuro physiotherapist at Balance Neuro Physio, who has been working Steve for just under two years.

Gemma said; ‘He received a devastating prognosis regarding his upper limb following his stroke which understandably floored him. But his inspirational determination, hard work both with land physio and in hydrotherapy, coupled with great support from his family has led him to achieve abilities far beyond our expectations.’

The pair have been working together through his physio and recovery, and Gemma has been helping Steve to try and prepare him for each section of the challenge, but the hardest part is proving to be the running.

Gemma added: ‘He is a true inspiration to all his therapists and to other stroke survivors. He has transformed both physically and mentally. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of his journey. Hopefully we can raise plenty of money for our fantastic NHS colleagues who do such an amazing job in this local area.’