March newsletter 2026

Welcome back to your go-to for information, news and events relating to stroke.

We hope you and your whānau are keeping well, especially as daylight savings starts and winter weather approaches. Enjoy reading about the amazing things that have been achieved this month - all thanks to your kind support!

A busy mum, working at a university, and proud of her athletic ability, 34-year-old Candra did not think for one minute that she was at risk of stroke.

On the day of her stroke, she ran a 12km race in Rotorua, which was a huge achievement. Later she noticed her legs were swollen and she was more tired than usual but aside from mentioning it to her mum, Candra didn’t think much of it and carried on with life.

Candra and her family went to a mall afterwards. While they were there her youngest daughter hit her head. They took her to urgent care. While they were waiting to be seen Candra remembers thinking maybe she was the one who needed the conversation with the doctor. But she sat in the doctor’s office and said nothing.

Later that afternoon they were busy with the children but Candra’s husband was still worried about her. Instead of going home, he took her to urgent care. When Candra met the emergency doctor, language difficulty was her only symptom. It was unclear what they were dealing with, so the doctor ordered a CT scan. The scans showed that Candra had a stroke.

Now, six months post stroke, she’s getting ready to walk the Camino de Santiago to raise awareness and encourage others to keep active during stroke recovery.

We've teamed up once again with Mark Adams, a physiotherapist at the Burwood Hospital in Christchurch for The Road to Recovery 2026. Last year amazing people like you collectively travelled the length of New Zealand over seven times! And raised $6862 for stroke support services. 

Now, we're looking for people who want to test their fitness and make a difference to the lives of stroke survivors in Aotearoa New Zealand. We're encouraging people to form teams or sign up individually for this month long event that runs from 1-31 May 2026.

You will join a community of people who care about making a difference, including stroke survivors exercising as part of their rehabilitation. We'll work together, log time spent exercising and see how 'far' we can travel in one month. 

You don’t have to be an athlete to take part. Every kilometre and every dollar will make a difference, whether you challenge yourself to walk to the end of your garden or cycle to the top of a mountain.

By taking part in The Road to Recovery, you will help raise vital awareness about the work stroke survivors do to support their recovery and fundraise to support people affected by stroke in Aotearoa. I hope you’ll join us!

I'm in! Sign me up.

The amazing Community Stroke Navigators have been busy at events and blood pressure checks around the country this month!

The blood pressure van took a trip on the ferry from Wellington to the South Island. We gave blood pressure checks from Nelson to Haast!

We had some great yarns at the Kaikoura A&P show and were very grateful for the positive feedback many people shared about stroke education sessions in the area. Then, we were warmly welcomed to the South Waikato Hauora day. We had a busy day at the Taupo Great Lakes senior's health expo. 

In the North Island, we had a big day out at Pasifika Festival in Auckland. A massive thank you to everyone who has used our services this month!

If you are one of our incredible regular monthly donors you can expect your tax certificate for the 2025-2026 financial year to be sent out mid-April. If any of your details have changed over the last year, please let us know so we can make sure your tax certificate finds its way to you.

You can also let us know if you prefer to receive it in your inbox or through paper post. Find out all you need to know about claiming your tax credit by clicking here.

To see the difference your donations are making read here.

Thanks again for all of your support. Stay well and I'll see you again in April!

Jess Winchester

General Manager Marketing & Fundraising | Stroke Aotearoa New Zealand