Setting her sights high, the goal was to secure a prestigious London Classics medal by competing in three iconic endurance events – the London Marathon, RideLondon 100, and Swim Serpentine.
Amazingly, even having a stroke did not stop Sarah achieving this.
She’d already successfully completed the first two challenges when in August 2022, at the age of 55, Sarah had a stroke while at work. The aftermath meant she underwent nine months of rehabilitation therapy at Shaftesbury Icanho.
After rebuilding her life and returning to work, Sarah went on to complete the third and final event in September 2025; a two-mile swim in London’s Hyde Park.
It may have taken longer than envisaged, but she was thrilled to be awarded the medal after everything she’d been through.
Sarah used the swim as an opportunity to fundraise for Shaftesbury – her way of showing immense gratitude for the care she received from our specialist team. “I wanted to help others find the same hope and strength I was given,” she says.
The stroke had been caused by a hole in Sarah’s heart, discovered nine years previously. She’d known she was at risk, but “never in a million years” expected it to happen due to her healthy lifestyle.
Fortunately, the stroke occurred while she was at work in the physiotherapy department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The outcome might have been very different had a colleague not discovered her on the floor and summoned a crash team within minutes.
“It came out of the blue. There were no warning signs. I was working on a computer when my right hand suddenly stopped working. I went to stand up but my right leg was dead and I just collapsed,” Sarah recalls.
Previously she’d lived an active lifestyle – rowing, swimming, running and cycling regularly. She worked four days a week as a physio technician instructor and looked after her three grandchildren on the fifth day.
Sarah initially spent a month in hospital and could barely sit up in bed unaided. Her world had been turned upside down; she felt isolated and couldn’t see a way forward.
After being referred to Shaftesbury Icanho, she underwent a comprehensive programme of physical and occupational therapy and her determination soon kicked in. By doing exercises “religiously, every single day”, Sarah was able to return to work after 16 months.
“Without Icanho, I would not be the person I am today. They helped me achieve all my goals, and more,” she says. “If I had gone home from hospital with nothing to work towards, how could I progress, even begin to get my life back?”
Having spotted a poster about a former patient completing a fundraising event for Shaftesbury, Sarah felt compelled to do the same. Once she’d mastered riding a bike again, her dream of a London Classics medal felt more achievable and she turned her attention to learning to swim again.
Still unsteady on her feet, Sarah felt safer in the water She bought a wet suit, had swimming lessons in the pool and started practicing in local lakes, never having swum outdoors before. She was starting from scratch and needed to use floats in the water initially.
For eight months, Sarah was training two to three times a week on top of her job and family commitments.
When it came to race day, she felt more excited than nervous. She’d swum the distance in both the pool and the lake so knew she had it in her. Three friends from her running group also participated in the event to show their support.
“This was massive for me – something I really, really wanted to do. Raising money for Shaftesbury is so personal to me after the journey I’ve been on. It really motivated me to recover,” Sarah says.
Two years to the day after her stroke, Sarah started working in the stroke team at work – another goal she’d set herself.
Physically, Sarah is almost back to her former self, although still has some right-sided weakness affecting her balance (as she discovered recently on a ski trip when she kept falling over!)
“I will keep trying. I may be a bit slower, but I’ve proved to myself there’s nothing I cannot do. My brain may have deficits but I didn’t lose my motivation. It’s onwards and upwards for me.”
Sarah is still visiting Shaftesbury Icanho when she can, dropping off homemade cakes to show her appreciation to the team. She’s also agreed to be a guest speaker at our first brain injury rehabilitation conference on 18 March.
If you’re inspired by Sarah’s story, we have other challenge events coming up, including the 2027 TCS London Marathon. Visit our events page for more information or call Sonia on 07919 598272.