Clay Daly, a fearless, ambitious 23-year-old from Australia, is preparing for his first-ever Gold Coast Marathon. He will advocate alongside his father, Mark, who’s been living with locked-in syndrome since suffering a devastating stroke in December 2020. This emotional journey aims to educate the public about stroke and raise money for survivors and their families. It’s a reminder to cherish life’s little delights, too.
Though Mark’s physical life changed after a catastrophic stroke caused locked-in syndrome, Mark himself remained, cognitively aware and able to communicate. He has never returned home and needs 24-hour care, fed through a feeding tube, unable to speak, walk or use his arms. While nothing can truly ease the pain that the family has experienced since the stroke, which turned life on its head for all of them, Clay shared the challenge it’s been trying to reach his father with news of this developing, unfortunate situation.
“We haven’t had a proper normal conversation in 18 months like we used to be able to,” – Clay Daly
The Impact of Stroke
Strokes top the list as the number one cause of disability in Australia. The Stroke Foundation has found that 80 percent of strokes are preventable. Risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, as well as heart conditions that impact blood flow. Clay is determined that by running the marathon, he will help raise awareness about these dangers and new ways to protect yourself from them.
Together, these events will bring in almost 40,000 runners to the Gold Coast Marathon this year alone. Clay’s involvement sheds light on the obstacles that stroke survivors like him face every day. He expressed his motivation behind this endeavor.
“It was something I wanted to do to honour my dad, honour his strength and the pain and suffering that he’s been through,” – Clay
The Marathon Challenge
Pushing Mark in a wheelchair, the unique challenge of a marathon, added to that. Clay admitted it was a herculean effort when it came to shoving an 800-pound man for long enough distance.
“A marathon itself is a massive ordeal, but while pushing someone in a wheelchair as well — my dad is a big man,” – Clay
Along the route, Clay will coordinate with family members to meet them at designated points for Mark’s food and medication needs. This logistical element to the race creates another layer of complexity to an already physically taxing challenge.
“My dad needs 24-hour care now, but this is what we do now and we just take it in our stride,” – Clay
Looking Forward
The process they’ve been going through since Mark had his stroke, set back to get a second chance at life. Clay wrote about the transformation they had undergone together.
“Everything looks very, very different now in life and around home,” – Clay
Despite the challenges, Clay is dedicated to keeping his father’s spirit alive as he sets out on this marathon journey. His efforts aim to bring light to the challenges faced by stroke survivors and inspire others to appreciate life’s simple joys.
