A REDDITCH woman is taking on the Stroke Association’s Resolution Run after surviving a stroke - at just 35.

Kay Walker woke up with a bad headache in November 2016 after a friend’s house-warming party, and put it down to overindulging the night before.

“My headache lasted all weekend and was on the top of my head, which I thought was strange," she said.

"My left hand had also gone weak, and I kept dropping my phone whenever I tried to use it. When I went to work in my role as housekeeper in a residential home, my colleague and mother advised me to see a doctor.”

After running through the FAST test, Kay’s doctor sent her straight to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where it was revealed she’d had a stroke, caused by a brain aneurysm.

Kay was discharged from hospital after a week, with weakness in her left side.

She had to retrain her hand with physiotherapy, after losing the movement in her fingers and thumb.

Kay also underwent open brain surgery in January 2017 to repair the aneurysm.

She said: “I’m now a lot better and can use my hand again. Before my stroke, I was ambidextrous but did most things left-handed. Now I have to use my right hand, which has been frustrating, and I get tired much more easily.”

Kay is now preparing to take on the Stroke Association’s 5km Resolution Run at Arrow Valley Country Park on this Sunday, February 25 alongside her partner Claire Gordon, to raise vital funds for the charity.

Kay added: “The Stroke Association’s Stroke Recovery Service was there for me after my stroke to help with information and advice, and when I saw the Resolution Run I knew I wanted to take part and give something back.

"I’ve never been a runner or seen myself going to a gym, but after my stroke I decided to join Gymophobics in Redditch, which has been amazing.

"The staff have been fantastic working with me to achieve all my goals. When I came out of hospital I had no energy. I was getting confused easily and had low self-esteem; I was a completely different person.

"The charity has helped me to build myself back up again and I’m now much more confident. I want to raise as much as I can for the Stroke Association to help others affected by stroke to get the support they need.”

The money raised through the Resolution Run will help the Stroke Association to fund vital research and support people affected by stroke in the West Midlands.

For more information, go to stroke.org.uk/resolution or call 0300 330 0740.