International Men’s Day (Tuesday 19th November) celebrates inspirational men within our communities and a local Belfast man is the epitomes of what it means to be an inspiration. Aaron Brown sadly lost his brother to a heart attack, and around the same time, saw his mum battle through two heart attacks and a stroke. Despite going through such a difficult time, Aaron wanted to do something positive to help others affected by these illnesses and fundraised for local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS), an organisation his mum received support from on her recovery journey.
Aaron explains, “I lost my brother Stephen in August 2019. It was very out of the blue. He was only 48. His dad also died in his mid-forties from a heart attack, so Stephen’s outlook was that every day he lived past that was a blessing. We fundraised for his workplace to install a new defibrillator after he passed away.”
“Around the same time, my mum was also dealing with health issues. She had her first heart attack in August 2018 and a second one in January 2019. She then had a stroke in June 2022. In February 2019 I lost my dad too, so it was a very tough couple of years.”
"Mum hadn't felt quite right for a week or two. I was living in England at the time and spoke to her every day on the phone. I phoned her one afternoon as I was coming out of work but didn't get an answer. Later that evening my sister phoned me, and I could hear the beeping of a heart monitor in the background- as soon as you hear that you know something is wrong.”
Aaron continues; “I had just got a graduate job in England, but I had to leave that and get a new job here. Then COVID-19 hit, and I ended up staying here for the long term. What happened put things into perspective though. You think your parent is invincible and that they will always be here but that was the first time I saw the vulnerable side of things and that has stuck with me since.”
“Someone having a heart attack or stroke has a big impact on the whole family. I moved back in with mum to try and help her through those first couple of months after her stroke. She was badly affected to begin with in terms of her vision and she was very unsteady on her feet. She has also had problems with her memory due to her stroke.”
After her stroke, Aaron’s mum, Marie, received support from Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke’s (NICHS) Care team to help her on her recovery journey which led to Aaron wanting to give something back to the charity.
Aaron explains: “Fundraising has been something that we either as a family or individually have been wanting to do for a while because of how helpful the NICHS team were for us. We wanted to support the NICHS team so that they can support other families who are going through tough times.”
“My mum has always been a worrier. It was great having someone there to support her and for her to talk to if she had any concerns. Having the NICHS team there to talk through what she was feeling and thinking and having that reassuring voice on the other side was so important.”
“I am from the Oldpark and mum lives right next to the Oldpark section of the Belfast City Marathon. Every year we would go out and watch the runners go by and cheer them on. Every year I have said I would do the marathon someday, but I was never a runner. We used to do 3k runs in school and I struggled and would only really run at football, but I wanted to challenge myself to do the marathon. I did my first 5k in November last year, my first 10k in the December and I just worked my way up from there.”
Aaron says, “The training was tough. I've struggled with a back injury over the past few years, and I would get back spasms quite badly. But I pushed on. Since October last year I have also lost over 10 kilos in weight.”
“At the start of April, I did a half marathon. I learned a lot from that. It was very tough, but I was glad I did it because I learned all the lessons I needed about eating at the right time as I had overlooked the nutritional side of things.”
“I wanted to push myself and I wanted to do the marathon for both my mum and my brother, because without them I would not be the person I am today. No matter how hard the marathon was, they went through times that no way compare to having sore legs or a sore body. I wanted to do what I could to raise money for people that are feeling those hard times so that they can get help from NICHS, the same way that we did.”
By taking part in the Belfast City Marathon, Aaron raised an incredible £1700 for NICHS which will go a long way towards supporting the charity’s services so they can be there for others in need, and fund local research and prevention services to save and improve lives.
Christine Duncan, Events and Marketing Manager at Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, says; “We are so grateful to Aaron for choosing to take on the Belfast City Marathon in memory of his brother Stephen, and in support of his mum Marie and our charity. Almost 90% of our income comes from public donations. Fundraising efforts like Aaron’s are vital in enabling us to continue to support the local community and provide life-changing services for people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and their families.”
“The Belfast City Marathon 2025 is taking place on Sunday 4th May 2025 and registration is now open. Entrants who sign up now can also avail of the early bird booking rate, saving £10, until 30th December 2024. Like every year, our team will be here every step of the way to support you with your fundraising efforts, and we will be out in force on the day to cheer on and motivate all our NICHS runners. In recent years, the event has been immensely popular, and entries have sold out early on, so if you want to be at the starting line next year or tick this marathon off your bucket list, we recommend registering now!”
To sign up to run the Belfast City Marathon 2025 in support of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, visit www.nichs.org.uk/BCM2025.
