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I hope people will take the time to understand how easily and quickly your life can change following a brain injury
Stroke | Survivor |
I decided after five months that I wanted to drive again.
Brain haemorrhage | Survivor |
I am extremely grateful and thankful for friends and family who have contributed to my donations page
Aneurysm | Family member/carer |
I want concussion awareness to become an absolute staple in sports.
Concussion | Survivor |
Those who have stayed for the party have shown me love and friendship I’d never understood before.
Other | Survivor |
I was desperate to help her raise awareness and to give her a voice.
Fall | Family member/carer |
I wanted people to know that however awful it is at the beginning, it’s really worth working at it.
Smell creates an incredibly important and emotionally evocative connection with other people.
Fall | Survivor |
A brain injury can be terrifying and frustrating and invisible all at the same time.
It was a lovely sunny day in the early Spring of 2019 in the Peak District. No day for any sort of accident.
Road traffic incident | Survivor |
From the moment I heard the words ‘brain tumour’ I thought ‘this will not beat me; I will pull through’.
Brain tumour | Survivor |
You’ve got a life to live after sports.
Trust me, a hole in your head is a lot less fashionable than a cycle helmet.
Road traffic incident | Family member/carer |
Memory loss affects me more than anything else.
I know there will be more proud moments to come.
My brain injury affects me now more than ever.
If it wasn’t for my past, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
The bond of our family is stronger than ever after everything thrown our way this year.
My wife has been through a lot after my brain injury.
Headway has helped answer some of the questions that l kept asking.
It has been the biggest roller coaster of my life.
I was very worried I wouldn't be able to paint again.
Viv has been beside me through the good times and the worst of times.
Life is different now, but I am very fortunate to be alive.
Hypoxic/anoxic brain injury | Survivor |
You feel like you’ve lost part of who you are.
I won’t let my memory loss hold me back.
Assault | Survivor |
I didn’t have any other choice but to start again from scratch.
The hardest thing is coming to terms with how invisible and disabling a brain injury can be.
Hiring an e-scooter should not be a quick transaction.
I now have coping tools for this terrible mental health condition.
There is a silence that wasn’t there before, I retreat into that silence a lot.
Headway is always there to help me when I need it.
Wearing a helmet definitely saved me from a much worse fate.
Sports | Survivor |
I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of marrying the woman I love.
“I'm living proof that wearing a helmet can save your life!”
Without his helmet my husband wouldn’t be here today.
Sports | Family member/carer |
I remember asking ‘Am I going to die?’
Aneurysm | Survivor |
My helmet saved my life and it’s given me a chance to carry on living
The most precious person in our lives was lying in front of us and there was nothing that we could do to help him.
Assault | Family member/carer |
It makes me so sad that I can't remember my wedding proposal.
The online sessions with Headway Hertfordshire have been really beneficial for my recovery.
I fear for my future if I lose Headway’s support.
Headway Wirral have done a great job of bringing people together and making us feel less alone.
I can’t bear to imagine a world without Headway
Be proud of who you are and how far you have come.
I believe that if I can get through this, then I can overcome anything that life throws at me.
My family had to watch me go from being the head of the household to someone who had to be hoisted out of bed.
Ever since the brain injury she hasn’t been the same person. I’ve had to mourn the daughter I once had.
Other | Family member/carer |
Alex would tell me he didn’t recognise me and didn’t know if he was dreaming or not.
Hydrocephalus | Family member/carer |
I was filled with complete and utter joy that I had survived.
I felt as though I was a child again, having to relearn such basic life skills.
I feel as though I’ve gone back in time to eight years ago when I only left the house once a day.
Encephalitis | Survivor |
Before my injury I hadn’t had an ‘accident’ since I was about six. Now, I’m a fully-grown adult who can’t control when he needs to go to the toilet.
I was so determined to graduate and start my career that I was too stubborn to ask for help.
From that moment my life changed completely for me, I had woken up from my coma a different person.
I’ve had to self-isolate a lot over the years to try to manage the effects of my injury.
I think the staff assumed I had taken drugs.
I hope that by speaking out about the dangers of carrying on with a concussion people are more aware of the risks.
There have no doubt been difficulties in the relationship, but Doug has a great understanding of my injury.
My first ten months after hospital discharge were spent doing little more than getting through every day.
Despite his ongoing war in his head he managed to make people smile every day.
Yoga was my medicine. It was my focus. My determination to succeed.
In a strange way, I feel I've lost ‘me'.
There is nothing mild about any type of brain injury
I get angry quicker and wound up about things that before my injury I would've laughed at or ignored
I am a firm believer in not just speaking of the change, but actively searching to be part of it.
I believe that my son saved my life. He gave me a reason to keep on going
Take every day as it comes and believe it will get better.
Haematoma | Survivor |
I will go back to work and be successful in whatever I decide to do next. My brain injury is not going to hold me back.
I am unable to remember lyrics to songs I have performed for many years
My goal is to be able to walk down the aisle on my wedding day.
He later described it as he felt like his brain was falling through a hole and he was scrabbling to grasp the sides.
Memory loss is one of the most negative aspects of my brain injury.
I recognise my limitations and allow people around me to help.
The grief never goes away. You still sob. You still ache. But you learn to live with it. You learn to manage it, most days
Brain haemorrhage | Family member/carer |
I hate feeling reliant on my family and friends
I could understand what my patients had been going through and how they were feeling.
I wish I could tell people ‘I’ve had a brain injury, please accept that my brain doesn’t work like yours all the time'
I was amazed by how people just expected me to return to ‘normal’ life. I struggled and still do.
Hydrocephalus | Survivor |
Do not underestimate how important your support is to someone with a brain injury.
It was like my brain had been rebooted and had been started again in safe mode.
To be part of a Games that is based in your home country is something to savour and is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The injury put my son in the unenviable position of having to grow-up overnight.
I have the charity's best interests at the forefront of my thought process because I sincerely want the best for the place
I feel I have been given a second chance and I have to grab it with both hands
Little by little the blog turned into a book
I was unable to walk but dreamed of dancing again
I decided to create a podcast because I wanted to help other people
I never expected to have a stroke at such a young age.
It can be really challenging being a parent with a brain injury.
Dirty Dancing is the perfect example of my memory failure.
I found myself coming round on our settee seeing Apollo 11 landing back on Earth
The journey of learning to speak again has been one of my proudest moments.
I live every single day with a smile on my face
I've learnt there truly is life after stroke!
It's the scariest thing in the world - opening up to someone and showing your most vulnerable side
I hope that when people read my book they begin to learn that nothing is impossible.
My exact words were 'I feel like I'm having a brain haemorrhage'.
The photo reminds me that great things can come out of your worst experiences.
It was only whisper, a tiny sound, but it meant so much.
I can't remember parts of my children's childhood
Get stuck in - the ocean needs you now!
I thought I was in a dream.
I felt as though my dream of becoming a nail technician was over.
It wasn't until my daughter had her brain injury that my husband realised he had one too.
I thought I'd lost my mum forever.
I want the show to highlight the beauty which can be found in even the most tragic situations
The key to becoming a carer was playing Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Stroke | Family member/carer |
Volunteering has helped to get my life back on track.
I knew I was in a critical condition, and as a person who loves stats, I knew the stats weren’t great.
Volunteering for St John's is an excellent step to achieving my ambition
Why does fatigue occur? And what can we do about it?
I used to feel like I should be able to push through it but that doesn’t work.
Fatigue makes studying for my exams near-impossible.
The fatigue has put pressure on our relationship because we have very different body clocks now.
My identity has changed but I’m still me, and the fatigue is part of that change.
Blogging is about you and what you enjoy
I gave myself the nickname Wobbly Journo! I can ski better than I walk, so I’m OK with it.
Dancing on Ice has played a huge role in my recovery
I shouldn't have returned to play
Blogging helped me better understand myself
Find a place where you feel welcome and get growing!
My brain injury brought me and my girlfriend closer together
How my dogs changed my life!
Meningitis | Survivor |
I can't speak, but I have so much to say
It's an absolute honour to run the London Marathon for Headway
The volunteers are so grateful for the opportunity to give something back
People sometimes assume we're going to behave as though we're an unpredictable child.
It wasn't us who she responded to, it was Peter Andre and his song Mysterious Girl!
I had to learn how to walk and talk again, but yoga was still second nature to me.
My brain injury has made me more determined to make something of myself in the future.
For me, normality is being a mum and wife
I began to use blogging as a way to express what I was feeling
It's a daunting feeling for anyone to travel the world solo
I have a chance to live my life despite all the odds
For some people returning to work is possible after brain injury, but without doubt it will be a real struggle.
Fatigue changed everything, it impacted on every aspect of my life and forced me to change many things that I thought made me who I was.
The most positive aspect of my brain injury was finding out how much my partner, my friends and my family love me.
I ended up telling her what I’d dreamt. What she said next, will stay with me forever.
Learning to live again. My story.
After seeing the racing. I knew what I needed to do. I had to slay that demon and get back on a bike.
As I've slowly recovered, they've had to adjust to this new person I've become
One of my early panic attacks occurred while eating a Sunday roast at home.
The company's reaction to what happened was just astonishing. They fully supported me during my recovery and return to work.
I’m determined to open up the conversation about mental health and brain injury
Things will get better but it takes time and unfortunately no one can tell you how long that will be.
I did it for my brother, for Headway, but also for myself.
I swear, he knew he was helping me
I became more disorientated and confused. I didn’t know where I was when I should have.
I contacted the number on my Headway ID Card and spoke to a solicitor about what had happened.
My fatigue changes so much. I can be OK one minute and the next I can barely talk.
I want to share these top tips that helped me manage anxiety.
Last time I flew, the plane was hit by lightning!
How long can I expect my partner to put up with me while I have a brain injury?
Being back home forced me to realise how fragile I was
My diary is more helpful than I ever could have imagined
She was obviously very pleased to see me. But I had no idea who she was.
I was never happier than when at the helm, steering the yacht through all conditions.
“I would be the Happiness Fairy, I’ve sprinkled Happy Dust on you, now smile.”
‘Be in the moment. This is all you have.’
I don't want anyone to have to face the challenges of brain injury alone
I use my own experience to help me have even more empathy with people
The sad truth about relationships post-aneurysm
It wasn’t healthy, and to be honest, I was close to a breakdown
Haematoma | Family member/carer |
Things would have been very different if it wasn't for the HATS nurse
Hypoxic/anoxic brain injury | Family member/carer |
The card is invaluable in helping them understand
Having the support of family and friends helped to motivate me
I didn’t choose to be a carer, caring chose me
I want to portray the fact that there can be life after brain injury.
Volunteering made me feel whole again
The assessment needs to be fair, clear and most importantly accurate
Volunteering has been the best therapy I can think of
Volunteering has changed my life
She has been mum and dad, as well as my best friend, all the way through my recovery and life.
I felt I had lost my dad even though he hadn’t died
They didn’t know how to react to this sudden change in my personality
Things are going to be different, but they'll still be good.
The accident has certainly affected my relationships
I'm able to give one-on-one support to family members all along the brain injury pathway.
I’m so grateful for what I have now
If Alex the HATS nurse hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done
Being a parent with a brain injury is challenging in a number of ways
The assessor told me that she hadn't looked at my previous claim. That threw me straight away.
The brain injury has taken my beloved career, but I am alive.
The questions need to be more sophisticated and asked by people who understand brain injury
It feels like I am continually being held hostage by pain, fatigue and a strange brain fog
I felt I was being judged and viewed as lazy, or 'faking it'
I felt like she put words in my mouth and did not really take the time to listen to or want to understand me
If I had not been operated on, I would have been dead within 24 hours.
I didn't get the impression the assessor had read Jeff's reports or had an understanding of brain injury
The assessment just doesn’t work, it doesn’t get to the truth.
I don't want anyone to feel as alone as I did
It’s hard to work out when it’s my brain injury, and when it’s just the fact that I basically came back from the dead.
Don't struggle alone
Kerry the HATS nurse made all the difference
Where did I go?
The laugh doesn't last long, but it can cause a lot of problems
They’ve given me hope that in time I will once again be happy
Keep on fighting!
Play the cards you’ve been dealt, as best you can
Concussion never crossed my mind
Jetting off alone with a brain injury
We were left to get on with it
With the card, I don't have to explain myself
Through a mother's eyes
I was put on this planet to help people
A helmet saved my life
There's light at the end of the tunnel
I didn’t know where to turn
Volunteering has been key to my rehabilitation
The volunteers were there whenever I needed them
I'll probably never work again.
The sneeze was very memorable for me
Now I help other brain injury survivors
I try to be more positive about everything
Kevin was my life before, and he is now
Encephalitis | Family member/carer |
My mother's brain injury is hidden
My son lives on through his gift to Headway
I've forgotten two birthdays and a Christmas
It meant I could breathe
Liberation through acceptance
Stuck in the present tense
A different dad with a ten-minute memory
A cold sponge was no good for a fractured skull
I wanted to drink myself to death
Homesickness for my old sense of self
Fighting fatigue
Brain injury does not discriminate
I could walk into a room full of gas and not know.
WCA set back my recovery
Facing pregnancy alone was tough
Finding Headway superheroes was a stroke of luck
Motorsports passion gave me back my life
Speak up; never be ashamed
Determination played a vital role in my recovery
Charlie is Jake's rock
She is one in a million and I simply love her
We cried with pride when we read Gary's will
ReCycling Me
Brain injury needs to be spotted quickly
I do feel more confident carrying my card
I am now very aware of the difficulties
Having a card has given me a lot more confidence and reassurance.
It’s taken a lot of determination
I always knew something was wrong
Don't give up
What we fail to understand, we tend to fear
Celebration almost cost me my life!
The road to recovery is not a linear process
Headway has taught me how to live again
We simply refused to give up
I fought to regain control of life
We couldn't have managed without Headway
Smart by name...
From struggling to hold a fork to cooking for hundreds
I won't let memory loss stop me getting a top job
I want to be his reason to get better
Daughter pays touching tribute to her father
Brain injury is often invisible
Brain injury can be a very lonely experience.
My riding helmet saved my life
I retreated into myself
There's no doubt that cycle helmets are important
People with hydrocephalus feel left in the dark