MEDIA RELEASE FOR THE VOYAGE OF HOPE
Two years ago at the age of 37, veteran sailor Les Bissell suffered a major stroke that left him temporarily paralysed,
unable to read, write or talk, and very nearly killed him.
Since then, he has not only made an almost complete recovery, but organized a round-the-world sailing voyage to raise
stroke awareness and help those stroke survivors whose experiences have been even more difficult than his own.
Les and his current crew member Page will arrive at Opua Marina this weekend. They will be in New Zealand till February
sitting out the cyclone season before continuing on the around the world voyage. Les will travel around NZ to see the
sights and to raise stroke awareness at every opportunity he gets.
The Stroke Foundation of NZ is looking forward to working with Les and using this opportunity to spread the stroke
awareness message to the public of NZ, and encourage stroke survivors that there is a Life After Stroke.
There are currently about 8000 new strokes in NZ every year, 25% of these are people younger than 65. Anyone, anywhere
at anytime can have a stroke.
Les has a very informative website http://www.voyageofhope.org this includes a 'live' map so you can check how close he is to arriving in Opua and our website is http://www.stroke.org.nz
Please contact me if you would like any further information either about the Voyage of Hope or our work here at the
Stroke Foundation.
When: this weekend weather dependant
Where: Opua Marina in the Bay of Islands
Visit our website:www.stroke.org.nz
*Reducing the risks - Improving the outcomes*
Check out http://www.voyageofhope.org/ and follow Les and Hope on their voyage to us here in New Zealand.
ENDS