A YEAR on from a brush with death a brave Chadwell St Mary woman will be taking part in a fundraising effort to thank all the medical teams who fought for her life.

Loren Dixon was just 25 when, last May, she suffered what proved to be a major stroke at her home in the town.

Loren recalls what happened, saying: "I was exercising in the garden when all of a sudden, I had a pain in my neck. Thinking I had just pulled my neck, I went to sit down.

"Minutes later I was unable to speak, see or move. Dropping in and out of consciousness, not having any control over anything. I couldn't swallow, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering and I could only cry out of one eye."

She passed out and Loren's mum Tracy immediately phoned for an ambulance.

Loren continued: "I was having a stroke. I had a blood clot in the basilar artery that comes with a death rate of higher than 85 per cent and an even higher chance of suffering from locked in syndrome. Laying in the ambulance, alone, my partner was able to come and kiss me goodbye.

"And goodbye is exactly what I thought it would be. But with the knowledge and specialist care I received and am currently receiving, I live to tell my story."

Loren has recorded the full story of her stroke and recovery in a moving two part blog written partly in hospital. You can access it via this link.

To mark the anniversary of her stroke Loren will be talking part in a jog and walk on Tuesday, 18 May and is hoping local people will sponsor her as she raises funds for the Stroke Association and the NHS.

Laren spent a total of 15 days in hospital, initially at Basildon then Queens Hospital at Romford in the immediate aftermath of her stroke, during which time medics discovered that she also had a hole in her heart!

So on Tuesday she will be stepping out to cover 15 miles (24K) on her trek, starting from Longhouse Road in Chadwell at 3.30pm and hopefully finishing on the Heath (by Chadwell cemetery) at approximately 7.15 to 7.45pm.

She will be accompanied by her partner Harry Rodell (26) and brother Sidney (15).

If you would like to support Loren on her venture, you can do so via this link.