'Make May Purple' for Stroke Association

by Gráinne Connolly

The campaign 'Make May Purple' is well underway. 

It's been set up in aid of the Stroke Association and to raise awareness in Northern Ireland. 

According to Brenda Maguire from the Stroke Association, 35,000 people here have been affected by Strokes. 

In Tyrone and Fermanagh there are a number of support groups for those affected. 

A peer support group meets every Monday in the Tyrone County Hospital. 

It enables stroke survivors and their families to meet with other people affected and share their experiences. 

They'll receive information on how to deal with it and how to cope with the changes. 

A group is now also available in Fermanagh at their new Stroke Association office in Enniskillen. 

They also have a stroke recovery co-ordinator who works across the Western Trust area and she provides one to one support for those affected and to help them get their life back to normality after a stroke. 

A number of events are running for 'Make May Purple' with some events hosted in Tyrone and Fermanagh. 

Anyone interested can still get involved in the campaign and bring it to their local area by hosting fundraising events. 

Details of how to get involved can be found on their website where you can also make donations:

https://www.stroke.org.uk/fundraising/make-may-purple