An Inverness student who for years had hoped to run a marathon with his dad will pound the streets alone this Christmas after being spurred on by a shock twist of fate.
Kieran Fraser, 21, is now going it alone on his running challenge, after his father Neil, 52, suffered a severe stroke eight weeks ago.
Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65 so the diagnosis came as a shock to his loved ones.
The final year economics and accounting student at Aberdeen University will run the 26 miles solo on Christmas Eve as the family hopes Mr Fraser’s long road to recovery leads him home in time for December 25.
‘It has been a very difficult time for us all’
“My dad had seemed perfectly healthy when I’d left to go back to university,” Mr Fraser jun said.
“We were making plans about him coming down to visit me shortly, after restrictions were relaxed.
“Then late one night I got a call from my stepmum Diane, saying that she’d found dad collapsed on the floor and that he’d been rushed to hospital.
“I returned to Inverness the following day to be around my family so we could support each other. It has been a very difficult time for us all but as dad slowly improves, so do we, in the hope that he will make a full recovery.
“Not being able to visit has been difficult for me and I have felt very helpless not being there for him.
“But I never forgot about our plans to one day run a marathon, so I decided that it was something I could do to help not only him, but many other families who have been going through the same as me.”
The student has so far smashed his £200 target by raising £475 for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, the charity which also helped his grandmother after she suffered two strokes.
“I’ve always been taught that Christmas is a time for family,” the budding runner added.
“My hope is that my dad can be home, but either way I will be completing the marathon on Christmas Eve.
“All our family and friends have been amazing and have supported us all recently, and that means a lot. It’s support like this that will keep me going when I run, that and thoughts of my dad.
“I’m hoping to raise as much as I can for this amazing charity that has helped mine and other families through bad times.”
‘So dad, this one’s for you’
The father and son pair are football fans and keen runners, but their attempts to run a marathon together have been constantly delayed by injuries, and now waylaid again by Mr Fraser’s stroke.
“We still talked about this run, we never gave up on our dream,” Mr Fraser jun added.
“I will have to run through the pain barrier but it’s nothing compared to the pain that thousands of families go through every year. So dad, this one’s for you.”
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive at Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, has wished him well on his “massive physical and emotion journey”.
She said: “It’s people like Kieran, who take on these amazing challenges, that make an enormous difference to those living in Scotland with chest, heart and stroke conditions.”
“The money raised from Kieran’s marathon will ensure that people and their families get the right help and support when they need it most.”
People can sponsor the effort at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kieran-fraser