Marathon man Bosco’s world turned upside down by stroke

THE Christmas holidays hold special significance for a Coalisland man and his family, whose lives were turned upside down three years ago.

As Bosco McShane rightly points out, he seemed like the last person you would expect to have stroke.

The well-known 44-year-old, father of seven was always on the go and had even completed two marathons, one of which was just week prior to the sudden bleed on the brain, or haemorrhagic stroke.

Speaking about his battle back to health and the support of the Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) – which is raising public awareness about the long-lasting effects – Bosco said the festive season can be challenging.

“I was probably the last person you would have expected to have a stroke. I was always on the go, a dad of six and busy with my Youth Ministry work,” said Bosco.

“I don’t drink or smoke, and thought I was fighting fit. I had even run in the London Marathon in April and the Dublin Marathon in October just a couple of weeks beforehand.”

Of the ongoing impacts of the stroke, Bosco said, “It impacted the whole family. The kids felt it when I had to stay in hospital for a month after the stroke and it was tough for my wife Lynette worrying about me and having to take care of all the wee ones on her own.

“At Christmas especially, it’s the little things that are affected that can annoy you the most. For me the Christmas lights blinking on the tree triggers something – I can’t even sit in the room with them. Background noise is also more difficult. When you have all the children in playing with their toys and they’re making noise, it can be very tough for my head.

“I don’t want to be a ‘bah humbug’ and take down the lights or take away the toys, but sometimes I just have to avoid it or go and have a lie down which is hard. It affects the whole family that way – they’re watching you and trying to keep the noise down if I need to have a sleep during the day, which is tough.”

“During the Christmas season, going out and about shopping can be more difficult too. When I’m paying and having to count out my money, it takes a lot more concentration. You feel conscious that you’re taking a long time and holding up the queue. Those small things can be tough, which people don’t always realise, because on the outside you look okay.”

Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke has been vital in helping Bosco get back to being able to do the little things. The charity provides life-changing care and support services to anyone at risk of, or currently living with, chest, heart and stroke conditions.

“One of the Care Co-ordinators from Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke contacted me,” Bosco continued. “At that stage we were entering lockdown during the pandemic. Only for their support, I was lost. When you come home from hospital, you’re left on your own. The support from the charity meant I was getting Zoom meetings and support phone calls and being able to speak to other people who had the same experience. They have been through it too and come out the other end. Having those chats were worth their weight in gold.

“I couldn’t recommend the support I received from NI Chest Heart & Stroke highly enough – anything I needed, they were there. They kept in touch and supported you, and thanks to them I’m keeping positive. We even welcomed another baby to the family, Macartan, a year after my stroke.”

He added, “The house is full of football, gymnastics, dancing, singing and all sorts! With seven children aged between two and 12, Christmas will be hectic, but it’s those little things and moments with family that will make it special.”

Ursula Ferguson, who is the Director of Care Services at NICHS, said, “ We also campaign for better care and awareness of these conditions as well as fund research to advance treatments and prevention work.

“There are however over 335,000 people living with a chest, heart or stroke condition here so there is still plenty to be done. As a local charity, almost 90 per-cent of all our work is funded exclusively by public donations and these funds are essential in enabling us to continue to provide life-changing services for people like Bosco and their families.

“Without the public’s generous support, we could not help people across Northern Ireland enjoy more of the little things they love, this Christmas and beyond.”

Jackie Trainor, who is the director of income generation at the charity added, “We understand everyone is finding it tough at the moment with the cost of living crisis but as Ursula mentioned, without the support of the Northern Ireland public, we would not be able to continue to help the thousands of local people who need us. We really appreciate any support people can give us.

“From a £1 donation, which may seem so small, to thousands of pounds from a fundraising event, every pound is important and really helps us to make a difference.”

To find out more about supporting the charity’s ‘Little Things’ campaign this Christmas, visit www.nichs.org.uk/littlethings