A Newry primary school teacher who has had two open heart surgeries and a stroke is running the London Marathon to raise funds and awareness of brain injury.
Rob Belt – originally from Lincoln in the East Midlands – was just 24 years old when he had a stroke in December 2017.
The now 33-year-old – who lives in Newry, Northern Ireland with his wife and two sons – will put his best foot forward on April 26 as he raises funds and awareness of
Headway – the brain injury association, a UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury.
Rob, who was born with an atrial septal defect in his heart and had his first open heart surgery when he was 18 months old, was driving home from work in 2017
when, unbeknownst to him, he experienced symptoms of a stroke.
He said: “I had pulled over to go post a parcel, and as I leant across to grab the parcel, I was suddenly overwhelmed with dizziness, double vision, nausea and heat.
“I went to grab my phone to call my wife, but I couldn’t work my phone, so I had to use Siri to try and ring her.”
At home the P6 teacher said he has “never felt so unwell”, but, because it was so close to his two-week Christmas break, he was eager to go to work the next day.
“I was at work for about an hour, but every single light or screen was really bright, and my headache was just getting worse”, he said.
“I went to see my GP and they pretty much shipped me off to ambulatory care straight away. A CT scan revealed I had had a large stroke in the cerebellum region of my brain.”
Rob spent a week at hospital on the stroke ward with doctors discovering the patch that was fitted in his heart as a baby had lifted slightly, which they believe could have
caused or contributed to the stroke.
He said: “They gave me an ultimatum of having surgery or being on medication for the rest of my life.
“I didn’t want to be on medication if I could help it, so they did a keyhole surgery the following December in 2018, which didn’t work so I had to have open heart surgery
in March 2019, which was four months before my wedding!”
Since his stroke, Rob lives with various symptoms commonly associated with a brain injury, including balance and coordination difficulties, fatigue, and aphasia- a communication disorder where individuals can mix up or miss out words.
Rob said: “I really notice my aphasia in high-pressure or highly-stimulated situations, like in a job interview, where I’d just completely lose my train of thought.
“I also live with social anxiety and cognitive overload. I used to enjoy going out to pubs and restaurants, and then all of a sudden I got very anxious about being in a busy room, with all the sound intensity and different lighting.
“In the beginning of my recovery, going shopping around Tesco was basically like being in a theme park because there’s that many moving parts; you’re trying to negotiate aisles, step to one side out of the way of customers, find the items you’re looking for.”
Despite living with daily symptoms, Rob has progressed in his teaching career and fitness journey.
He said: “Nearly nine years on, I’m incredibly grateful to be able to run again- and grateful that Headway UK have given me the opportunity to run for them in the
London Marathon.
“The support and aftercare that Headway UK provides to families is great – they have so many publications which can help the whole family understand how a survivor
may be feeling, without the survivor having to explain it themselves, which can be overwhelming.
“Brain injury is often a hidden illness or disability. I think it’s so important to educate the public on how brain injury can affect people in different ways, and how people
can have a brain injury and live ‘normally’, like I am, but there are elements of their daily life that it can affect.”
Eden Harlow, Fundraising Coordinator at Headway UK, said: “Rob has bravely shared his story to highlight the reality of living with a brain injury, and to show that brain injury can happen to anyone, at any age and at any time. His passion for raising awareness and advocating for survivors really is inspiring.
“We’re so grateful to him for taking on the London Marathon in aid of Headway UK, where his fundraising efforts will make a huge difference in supporting others facing
life after brain injury.”
You can donate to Rob’s fundraiser here.
For more information about stroke, visit: https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/types-of-brain-injury/stroke/
