A LYE man who returned from death's door is stepping up to the challenge of raising charity cash.

Simon James, from Dudley Road, spent eight weeks in intensive care and required resuscitation after suffering a stroke in September 2006 aged just 48.

His family were told there was a good chance he would not survive but, incredibly, Simon recovered his health and is now ready to take on the challenge of a gruelling 20-mile fundraising trek around the Clent Hills.

Simon said: "I want to give something back, when I can walk 20 miles I will feel as though I have made a recovery.

"The stroke came completely out of the blue and I was in hospital for a total of five months, my family was devastated."

Married father-of-two Simon worked hard to recover his physical fitness with a program of exercise, cycling, pilates and tai-chi but is still living with the consequences of his condition, which wiped out his short-term memory.

Simon said: "I carry a diary and have to write everything down, I don't know if I am going to get better, part of my brain died and I have got to re-route around the dead bit.

"I am doing a lot of memory tests and singing, which seems to help."

Before the stroke Simon worked as a lorry driver for Severn Trent Water who he says have been very supportive during his illness, he has now returned to work part-time at a sewage treatment plant in the area.

He is also working closely with Dudley Stroke Association and is currently planning to visit hospitals in the region to share his experience with victims of what medics now call brain attacks.

Simon said: "It has definitely changed me, I now have a lot more time for people from all walks of life."

Simon's charity walk, to raise cash for Dudley Stroke Association and leukaemia research, is set for Sunday March 16 when he will join teacher Tina Hellings in a bid to reach their target of £1,000.

To sponsor Simon or make a donation, call 01384 896212.