​Wandsworth fire-fighter creates ‘40 challenges before 40’ to raise money for the Stroke Association

Darren Long, 39, from Wandsworth is taking on 40 challenges before his 40^th birthday in November to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association after his girlfriend had a devastating stroke in October last year, at the age of just 27 years old.

In October last year, Darren’s girlfriend Chantelle went into surgery following from an on-going condition she has which is called Arteriovenous Malformation (also known as AVM). AVM is a tangle of abnormal and poorly formed blood vessels (arteries and veins) which have a higher rate of bleeding than normal vessels. Chantelle’s AVM is in her face, which has meant that she’s undergone over 40 operations. After an operation last year, Chantelle came out of surgery unable to move the left side of her body. Chantelle had had a stroke, and spent the following twelve days on the Intensive Care Unit.

At the time of Chantelle’s stroke she was just 6 weeks into her university course to become a paramedic. Darren adds, “When Chantelle had a stroke I was terrified. It was a huge shock to all of us, but as we all expected, Chantelle was so determined to beat her stroke, and has continued to work tirelessly on her physiotherapy.

“Thanks to the help from friends and family, I’ve came up with 40 challenges to do before I’m 40 in November. All the challenges will incorporate the number 40 in some way, like fitting 40 people into a fire engine and waxing 40% of my body hair!”

Darren will hold a launch night for his challenges on Friday 6 February at Grand Union Bar on Wandsworth High Street, where he and others will be shaving their heads. Darren is encouraging the local community to come along and even take part.

“I want to raise as much awareness as possible for the Stroke Association, particularly that a stroke can happen to anyone at any age. Along with the Stroke Association I will also be raising money for Changing Faces, a charity which has been of great support to Chantelle in recent years when dealing with some of the unfortunate prejudices people with disfigurement encounter. I hope people will come down to join in on the day, as this challenge will be a fun way of getting the message across.”

Charlotte Wahlich, fundraiser for the Stroke Association in London said, “With around 152,000 strokes a year in the UK – that’s around one every three and a half minutes - it is vital that we have people like Darren who can raise funds for people affected by stroke. We’re really grateful to him for taking on these challenges, and we look forward to supporting and even joining in!”