Fencing Against Stroke 2020
On March 8, 2009, I competed in an epee competition at BCAF. I did ok, 10th out of 50. I then went home, and laid down on the floor. My little dog Shiloh jumped on my chest and tried to lick my face. I jerked my head to avoud it, and felt a crunch in the back of my neck. A moment later, my head burst into a horrible pain. I soon couldn't walk, my right eyeball was constantly moving back and forth, my left side couldn't feel temperature...I had a hemorrhagic stroke, as a result of a Vertebral Arterial Dissection (VAD). I was in the best shape of my life, and only 35, why would I think about strokes?
Then four years ago, friend and fellow BCAF instructor Mitch Davis started behaving strangely. He'd show up late, or not at all, for classes. When he did come, he was grouchy, even surly...this was not Mitch. He was reliable to a fault, and in all my time at BCAF, he never showed his classes if he was in a bad mood. We soon discovered that he'd lost his job, because he kept showing up late, or missing work...not something he had done in his 25+ years there. It soon became apparent that he was unable to tell night from day. He would sometimes slur his speech, and generally not behave like the Mitch we all knew. After convincing him to go to the doctors, he found out that he'd had a series of TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks), or mini-strokes.
The effects of these took a toll on Mitch, and he would pass away after having a full ischemic stroke just a few months later.
It unfortunately took this tragedy for me to realize that I had some information that could possibly save a life, information about how to recognize a stroke, what the symptoms are, how to prevent them. I began to talk about my own stroke, seven years after it happened, and the after-effects that I continue to live with. We decided to dedicate an annual fencing competition to Mitch, and held a fundraiser for stroke awareness...my original goal was $350. We raised nearly $6000! It was a phenomenal event, I was beyond thrilled with the results, and the experience was very gratifying.
This year, the Mitch Davis Memorial Foil Open happens to occur on March 8, 11 years to the day from my stroke. So I thought it fitting to hold another fundraiser, to raise awareness for strokes. Hopefully nobody will ever need this information, but we need to make sure that people have it, in case they do. And hopefully we'll have some fun along the way!
Donations of any amount can be made online. We will be holding a bake sale at the open, with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association. I greatly appreciate any donation, even food for the bake sale would be great! Thank you for reading this, and thank you for your support!
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