When Mark Fricker suffered a stroke aged just 32, the lack of access to dedicated rehabilitation inspired him to retrain as a stroke rehab specialist. Here, he shares his inspirational story
Mark Fricker is very matter-of-fact about the impact of his stroke.
“I view it as a positive moment in my life,” he says.
“I now help people walk again, which is very rewarding, and I feel I have been given this chance in life to help others.”
Back in 2002, when Mark suffered a devastating stroke while on holiday, the outlook seemed bleak. With nowhere near the access to specialist rehab Mark knew he needed, he resolved to do it himself.
Eighteen years later, Mark is now helping others who are in his very position back in 2002, showing them how possible it is to rebuild your life and achieve your aspirations.
Having gone back to university to retrain, he has become an ARNI stroke rehabilitation specialist, supporting scores of people each year to rediscover new possibilities in their recoveries.
As the founder of Destination Fit, a studio in Weybridge, Surrey, Mark supports stroke survivors, alongside people with neurological conditions including Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, on their journey to recovery. He has also established Mark Fricker Neuro Rehab, which extends that specialist support into at-home rehabilitation.
“With limited NHS aftercare or resources once a stroke survivor has left hospital, I wanted to offer help to people who were in the same position that I was and to show them with hard work, determination and a commitment to succeed they can progress towards regaining some or all of their lives back,” says Mark.
Mark’s dedication to supporting stroke survivors came from his own experience of recovery, which saw him suffer a major stroke while on a motorbike holiday on July 1, 2002. He was only 32 with an eight-year-old son.
“I was with a group of friends on holiday riding our motorcycles back from Germany when I collapsed and passed out,” he recalls.
“I crashed into a friend in front of me and we both fell off at high speed. I don’t remember this, in fact, I don’t have any memory for around six months prior to the stroke.
“I remember waking in a small Belgium hospital with a broken right arm and dislocated shoulder and not being able to move my entire left side of my body, I had blurred vision and could hardly talk.
“I was then flown back to the UK and it was only then that we discovered I had had a haemorrhage on the brain.
“I spent six weeks in a stroke unit in London before being discharged, still paralysed and unable to walk or use my hands and arms.”
Mark’s realisation that access to specialist rehab was not readily available was devastating, but also inspiring.
“The aftercare for stroke survivors then, as it still is now, was a 30-minute physio session once a week for six weeks,” he says.
“I attended one of these sessions for the first week, realised that it would be nowhere near enough rehabilitation to get me walking again, and decided I would research stroke rehab and do it myself.
“I set myself a long term goal of completing an ironman triathlon within five years. I knew I had a long road ahead of me as I couldn’t even stand unaided but was determined I wouldn’t stay in a wheelchair at the age of 32.”
Mark set aside six hours each day for his rehabilitation exercises, and refused to be deterred by the fact he could not move his left side.
“The first time I was able to pick up a marble was when I knew I would overcome my disability,” remembers Mark.
“I cried with joy and that one action motivated me more than anything else.
“I spent the next two years working on my rehabilitation. I could eventually walk with a stick, hold a knife and fork and drink from a cup.”
Mark’s hard-earned recovery then made him realise the desire to help others who faced a similar long and difficult journey ahead.
“I decided to retrain and went back to university to study sports science and in 2007, five years after my stroke, I completed an ironman triathlon,” he says.
“I also passed the level three personal training qualifications and set up Destination Fit in 2011 to help others become active and healthy. I became an ARNI stroke rehabilitation specialist and am trained in Parkinson’s and MS conditions.
“I wanted to give people hope and to prove to them that with determination and support they can achieve their own personal goals”.
In the nine years since Destination Fit has been operating, Mark and his team have helped people of all ages and with a variety of conditions, improving their lives and, importantly, vastly increasing their belief in their own ability.
One client, Issy, suffered a stroke aged only nine and whilst at school. She was left completely paralysed on her right side and with some cognitive issues. Her parents were told she would never walk again, or have the use of her right arm.
She has attended Destination Fit twice a week for 18 months, and her sessions have enabled her to dance, run and rediscover many activities which previously seemed impossible.
Another client, Doug, is 71 years old, and suffered a stroke 15 years ago. He has been working with Mark for two years now, initially to improve his walking. As a result, he was able to walk around his local garden centre – an unthinkable accomplishment prior to his rehabilitation work.
“Having been through this gruelling experience of recovery myself, I am committed to giving people hope and belief they will get through it and can achieve their goals. That is what we are doing with so many clients, who are achieving fantastic results, and what we will continue to support people to do,” adds Mark.
