Harty tells us why Dave ‘Whitey’ White, 2 years after a stroke, takes resilience to a new level.
Whitey with his personal tutor and valet Max Rowe.
I’m sat here in my garden, chatting with Dave White, former multi speed world champion, record holder and colossus within our sport - almost 2 years to the day since he suffered a near fatal stroke in the massive waves of Mauritius. When he arrived back in the UK three weeks after the stroke, he had no movement at all in the right side of his body and couldn’t speak a word. “That’s not true,” interrupts Whitey, “I could still stay ‘f**K!” (The only surviving sound was his favourite profanity – that is SO Essex). The hospital in Colchester were about to transport him to London to a unit for acute stroke cases who had minimal cognitive function, until his amazing wife Sally (who has a spookily telepathic relationship with her man, in that she knows everything he’s thinking) put her foot down and told them bluntly: “you do realise, he can understand everything you’re saying?”
And from then on his progress has been steadily upwards. “Well that’s not true;” he interrupts again (he’s always interrupting): “I have days when I get tired and everything gets worse – but the general trend is upwards.” On cue, he offers me a glass of his sickly sweet apple and raspberry cider. Sadly this recovery process has done nothing to improve his drinking habits.
Glorious Independence
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