'My world flipped on its head after stroke'

A motorcycle enthusiast says his whole world was "flipped on its head" when he lost half of his eyesight after a stroke.

Tim North, from South Petherton, Somerset, had his licence revoked after the stroke in August and said he felt he had lost part of his identity as a result.

Now his wife Therena has organised a charity bike run, with the help of biker John Bramble, to remind her husband "that just because he's not riding, it doesn't mean he can't be part of the motorbike family".

Around 100 bikers will ride from Podimore Services in Somerset to Ace Cafe in London on Sunday, raising funds for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the air ambulance.

Ms North said their whole life "was rocked upside down" one "normal Tuesday evening" when her husband complained he could not see out of the corner of his right eye and had a pain on the right side of his head.

"I literally just said, 'oh you've got a migraine, just get over it,'" Ms North said.

However, she said her "gut instinct" eventually kicked in and she took him to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, where they learned he had suffered a stroke.

Ms North said the consultant told her if her husband had just gone to bed that evening, she would have either "woken up a widow" or been looking for nursing care for him.

Mr North, who worked as a carpenter and builder, said his life had "completely flipped" since that day.

"There's no work. There's no driving. There's no money coming in. It's all of those things you've got to deal with," he said.

Mr North, who was laid off from his job in December, said the financial impact meant they were now selling their home "after having just pulled their heart and soul" into it.

"That's a big wrench. We've got to get mortgage free," he added.

While the financial and mental strain has been difficult, the couple said they wanted to raise money and support those who had helped them get through it, including the RNIB.

Ms North said: "They've showed us that life does still go on."

When it came to deciding to fundraise for the air ambulance, Ms North said: "Being bikers, we know how many times the air ambulance is used and how much is just to lift them off the ground."

Either way, Ms North, who has raised more than £2,000 so far, said the bike run was a way to "channel their minds" away from what had happened.

For Mr North, he said the whole thing made him feel closer to the community he had been a part of since he was a child.

He said: "It's a massive part of who I am as a person. It's in me. I can't walk past the bike without giving it a glance.

"The depths of winter was the depths of despair for me and because I couldn't ride, I had a mindset of 'well, I'm no longer a biker'.

"But I'm still a biker. I just can't ride at the moment."

Mr North said doctors had told him there was a chance his eyesight may improve, but if "push comes to shove" then he would have to jump on the back of his wife's motorbike.

Mr North said he hoped the bike run would raise awareness and urged those who experience any loss of eyesight or hearing to "go get it checked".

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