Stroke survivor trains his way back to health and a new career

Eight years ago Gary George had a stroke. He was just 35. After spending two months in hospital, he was paralysed down his left side side and unable to speak.

When he returned to south Wales he set about his recovery with intense physiotherapy sessions and speech and language therapy. Gary decided he wanted to aim high in his training, not just to regain what he had lost, but to face challenges that even the fittest of people may find difficult. He joined a gym in Cardiff and in the years that followed, he not only conquered the Three Peaks Challenge, but also walked the Great Wall of China, ran the London Marathon and even climbed to Everest Base Camp.

Now Gary is using the training skills he's learned to help others, by qualifying as a personal trainer specialising in training other stroke survivors, helping them to reach their own goals.

Watch [Megan Boot](http://A massive stroke at the age of 35 left Gary George fighting for his life in an Ethiopian hospital. Always something of an action man who had travelled the world, Gary was left paralysed and unable to speak. After two months in hospital, Gary was still paralysed on his left side and still unable to speak. In his words, he felt trapped in his own body. But once the anger and bitterness had subsided he resolved to achieve at least some level of normality again.Back home in South Wales, Gary began a programme of intense physiotherapy with Clinical Expert Neuro Physiotherapist Jakko Brouwers MSc MCSP. The brain damage sustained left him with an acute impairment in all aspects of word-based communication so his programme also included intensive speech and language therapy,The real turning point for Gary was when he wandered in to a local gym and begged the instructors to train him. Mike Parsons and Paul Jones of the Fitness Factory in Cardiff helped him improve not only his physical strength, but also his control and stabilisation. Setting ambitious goals was the key to Gary)'s report: