A Harrogate woman is fundraising for Stroke Association after she suffered from one herself at just 19 years old.

Hannah Holland, 23, is taking part in the Great North Run on Sunday, September 10 for the charity after she had a stroke which may have been caused by the contraceptive pill.

Hannah, a fashion student at the University of Manchester, had been experiencing pins and needles, but was told in A and E that it was just a trapped nerve.

But days later, a colleague noticed Hannah's face was drooping, and then after going to bed, she discovered that she couldn't move her left side.

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Hannah said: "I got up to go to the toilet and just couldn’t even grip the toilet paper.

"I couldn’t get back upstairs either, I had to slide and do the worm to get up the stairs and just went back to sleep."

The next morning she was rushed to hospital with her parents, and she said they had to wait a long time as emergency staff thought she was, "too young to have a stroke."

However MRI scans confirmed that she was, and she spent more than two weeks in hospital undergoing intensive occupational and physiotherapy.

Hannah said her parents' encouragement helped her to get back on her feet.

She said: "My mum and dad looked at me and said, 'come on, you’re not moping around.'

"I’d lost loads of weight but I was fit and healthy before so they encouraged me to get back to the gym and build my strength – especially in my arm and left side.

"I was like, I’m 19, I’m going back to university."

Hannah is taking part in the Great North Run for a second year to raise awareness and funds.

She said: "I want to raise awareness of stroke in younger people and the dangers of the contraceptive pill too.

"I want to prove to people that I can still do whatever I want to do after my stroke. You just have to get on with it.”

Emma Daley, Events Manager at the Stroke Association, said: "There are around 100,000 strokes every year in the UK and 1.3 million people are living with the devastating impact of stroke.

"We believe that everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke and we’re grateful to Hannah for taking on this famous challenge to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association.

"A stroke can happen to anyone at any time and it turns lives upside down. However, with the support of people like Hannah we can help more stroke survivors and their families as they rebuild their lives."

For more information and to sign up, email greatnorthrun@stroke.org.uk or visit www.stroke.org.uk/events/sporting-fundraising/greatnorthrun

To sponsor Hannah, visit - greatnorthrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/hannah-holland