Sunflowers for stroke

When Peter Mitchell was planning Topflite's first Sunflower Open Day in nearly 50 years, he wanted it to be special.

Peter is a co-owner of Topflite, a family business in Oamaru that crafts natural pet food. Peter also manages Rosedale Farm, which has been in his family for generations and is a lead grower of many central ingredients for Topflite, including sunflowers. So, when the Topflite team decided to bring back their Sunflower Open Day, they wanted to support a cause that was close to their hearts.

"We wanted people to enjoy themselves and the experience," Peter says,

"We also wanted to give back to a good cause, and we chose Stroke Aotearoa because Dad had a stroke 13 years ago."

Peter's father, Ross, had several TIAs (transient ischaemic attacks, or mini-strokes) and then a full-blown stroke aged 72.

"It was quite scary at the time."

"You don't take it all on board necessarily because you're dealing with a lot of emotional things and a lot of changes. Family life changed because Dad changed. He was the one most affected, but downstream, it affected everybody else as well, particularly Mum."

Despite initial concerns that Ross would not be able to walk again, he was able to make remarkable progress.

"Dad’s determination and wish to get back to his family and the life he had gave him the strength to give his rehab and recovery the best shot he could."

13 years on, Ross has done well, and Peter wants to make sure everyone who is impacted by stroke also has that chance. By making this year's Sunflower Open Day a fundraiser, he and Topflite were able to do just that, raising $4670 for Stroke Aotearoa.

"It was a great day," Peter smiles.

"Great to see so many people there enjoying the simple pleasures, lovely to be able to open up to the community – and the lovely thing was we were able to raise awareness and raise some funds for a good cause."

Local Community Stroke Navigator, Judith, also attended the event, sharing information about risk factors and signs of stroke, and explaining how donations directly support Stroke Aotearoa’s services.

Peter reflects,

"Had I been more aware of what a stroke was, I would have asked Dad to pop his arms up in the air. I would have known something wasn’t right then and there and taken him straight to hospital. So if someone reads your F.A.S.T. poster* and that makes someone else’s life different – well, that’s a great outcome – we’ve achieved something.”