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Raising Awareness About Young Stroke Survivors

  • Update: Better Brains

      16 August 2025

    Since finishing my symphony, I have been developing Better Brains. This is a survivor-led organisation for younger stroke survivors in New Zealand. It will offer therapy grants, peer support and recovery programmes created by people who have experienced stroke themselves.

    Recording the symphony will help raise awareness that strokes are affecting more people under 65. It is also a way to begin funding Better Brains and providing practical support for recovery.

    Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Your support is helping turn this project into reality. Please share the page with others so we can keep building momentum.

    #BetterBrains #StrokeAwareness #YoungStroke #SymphonyForSurvivors

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  • Shining a Light on Young Stroke Survivors

      29 June 2025
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    Hello Beautiful People,

    Imagine having a serious medical event, then losing your career, your home, your friends, and even your spouse as a result.

    Every year, 38% of strokes occur in people under 65, and the number is rising. These are parents, professionals, students, and caregivers. Yet when younger people have a stroke, it is often misdiagnosed as a migraine or drug use.

    Younger people often do not display the classic FAST symptoms, so we are not treated with urgency. That delay can have lifelong consequences.

    In New Zealand, younger stroke survivors face:

    • No long-term rehab unless privately paid for

    • No government disability support if your partner earns above minimum wage

    • No psychological support, despite the grief of losing your independence and identity

    • No cognitive testing to assess brain damage

    • No help retraining or returning to work

    Yet life keeps going. Mortgage, rent, school fees, power and food still need to be paid. If you cannot work, that burden falls entirely on your partner. Many survivors lose not only their income, but their relationships and homes as well.

    My Symphonic Memoir tells the story of surviving stroke as a younger person. Recording it will raise awareness and shine a light on this hidden crisis.

    Your support will also help me:

    • Publish a stroke awareness booklet

    • Deliver presentations for health professionals

    • Advocate for proper services

    • Create resources for survivors and whānau

    Thank you for standing with us.

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  • Campaign Update – As My Birthday Approaches

      10 June 2025
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    Kia ora everyone,

    This photo was taken just hours after I had a stroke. At the time, I had a 50 percent chance of surviving. Sean quietly took the photo, thinking it might be the last one of me. He only showed it to me a few days ago, three and a half years later, because he thought it might be too upsetting.

    But it wasn’t.

    It reminded me how close I came to not having any more birthdays.

    This week I celebrate another year of life, something I no longer take for granted. Since that day, I’ve had to relearn how to walk, speak, and even how to read and write music. It was slow and painful, but eventually I was able to compose again.

    Out of that journey came Symphonic Memoir, a 50-minute orchestral work that tells the story of my stroke, recovery, and resilience. It is a deeply personal piece, but also one I hope will speak to anyone who has faced adversity and fought to rebuild their life.

    I’m so grateful for every single donation. But as we reach the three-month mark of this campaign, donations have slowed, and we are still short of what’s needed to professionally record the symphony.

    If you’ve already supported this project, thank you sincerely. If you haven’t yet, and you’re able, I would be deeply grateful if you could contribute now. Even small donations help move this project forward. And if you’re not in a position to give, simply sharing the campaign link with your networks makes a real difference.

    Thank you for believing in my music.

    With all my love,

    Andrew

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  • Hear It Come to Life!

      17 April 2025

    This is a special moment: the first live excerpt from my symphony, performed beautifully on piano by Alex Jefferies (an ex-student of mine).

    I composed this symphony as part of my recovery journey after a stroke in 2021. It’s a deeply personal work dedicated to stroke survivors and anyone who’s faced adversity.

    Now, I have an amazing opportunity to record the full symphony professionally at Park Road Post (yes, the same place used for The Lord of the Rings!), but I need your help to make it happen.

    Even if you can’t donate, sharing this video means the world to me. Thank you for being part of this journey.

    Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far.

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  • Exciting Updates

      8 April 2025

    I’ve got some amazing updates to share with you about my symphony recording project.

    First, a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the Symphony Recording Fund. So far, there’s over $1,000 on the Givealittle page, and I’ve also received a direct donation of $5,000. That means—whatever amount you see on the page, you can add another five grand to that total!

    Thanks to this generosity, I now have enough funding to record part of the orchestra, either the woodwind section and piano or the brass and percussion. I honestly couldn’t be more excited—it’s a big step forward.

    And here’s another incredible piece of news...

    Emmy Award-winning film composer Stephen Gallagher—yes, the composer for Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim—has come on board as music editor! What an honour to have someone of his calibre supporting this project.

    Now, if you’ve looked at the fundraising page and thought,

    “Hmm… we’re still so far from the goal amount; my donation won’t make any difference...”

    Please know this: every dollar helps. I can use any amount raised to record sections of the orchestra. Your support makes a real difference—each donation brings us a step closer to recording the full orchestra and bringing this project to life. Imagine when its complete and you hear it for the first time played by live musicians, knowing you helped make it possible.

    And if donating isn’t possible right now, that’s totally okay. Sharing this post would mean the world to me.

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