Patient stories
While Vasili Kalisperas was born a healthy baby, his undetected jaundice has left him with cerebral palsy and needing round-the-clock care. Here, his mother Elena shares her story and calls for action on kernicterus to ensure such heartbreak does not happen to more families “When Vasili was born, he was a perfect, healthy baby. I [...]
When David was left with a serious brain injury after a road collision, he faced a huge uphill battle to try and rebuild his life - but having achieved several milestones, including regaining the ability to talk, his progress continues. Here, his team at Askham Rehab tell David’s recovery story so far.
Having been left with a brain injury following a serious road collision, David is now rebuilding his life with the support of a specialist rehab community. It was in 2017 when David, a carpenter in his early 30s, was left with life-changing injuries when his car hit a lorry.
Struggling to cope with a mystery illness which left her unable to leave her own house, Carmen was finally diagnosed with a condition so rare many medical professionals are not aware of it. Here, she shares her story.
For years, Carmen used to love travel, exploring the world on her own. Egypt and Barbados were favourite countries to visit. But one day in 2011, the 39-year-old found herself unable to walk out of the front door of her home in Liverpool, after experiencing increasing difficulties while outdoors. “I would get to a crossing on the road and suddenly I was unable to go,” she recalls. “In my head I would be thinking, ‘Why I can’t just cross the road?’ “My whole body had gone stiff, and I felt like I was stuck to the pavement.” Carmen received treatment for severe anxiety, as there were no conditions doctors could diagnose from looking at her blood test results.
Today marks World Encephalitis Day. Encephalitis is a condition which affects 500,000 people every year and causes inflammation of the brain, which can cause permanent brain injury.
Yet despite this, statistics show that 78 per cent of people do not know what encephalitis is. Here, to raise awareness of encephalitis and its impact, Bruno shares his story. “My encephalitis started suddenly from one day to the next. I was 16 at the time, and I was half way through my school lunch hour when it happened. All of a sudden and without any warning, I felt very dizzy and lost all sense of balance. I spent a good deal of the afternoon with friends in the school library sitting down not being able to move much.
After rebuilding his life following two life-threatening strokes aged just 14, Connor Lynes now dedicates himself to supporting other young survivors to follow his lead.
“I’m no-one special, just a kid who refused to give in.” But to the countless people who are inspired by his story of recovery, strength and optimism, Connor Lynes is so much more than that. Having had two strokes aged only 14 after sustaining a head injury while playing rugby, leaving him fighting for life, Connor now dedicates himself to supporting others, both through fundraising and by showing what life after brain injury can be.
After sustaining a TBI following a serious assault, Ian was left with no memory of his life or his beloved family. Here, his wife Bethan shares their story of rebuilding their lives.
The excitement of Christmas 2019 became devastation in an instant, when Ian was attacked on Christmas Eve. He was walking home in Cheshire, accompanied by wife Bethan and their three young children, when he was punched unexpectedly by a person he didn’t know. Ian was knocked to the floor and hit his head on the curb, causing a brain injury which led to a blood clot in the temporal lobe.
Lockdown has prevented Kevin Jones from being with his partner, who has Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies, in her care home. Here, he shares his story.
“When this horrible, horrible condition started, our lives changed basically overnight.” They are the heartbreaking words of Kevin Jones, whose partner Jean has dementia with Lewy bodies. Jean now lives in a care home that has been locked down during the pandemic, with Kevin only able to see her through a bedroom window. ‘I’d give anything to be able to sit by her side, hold her hand and give her a kiss,’ he says.
Aware that many people with Parkinson’s wanted to be more challenged with their physical activity, Neuro Heroes was created to do just that. Here, co-founder Laura Douglas tells NR Times about why their service is badly needed and warmly welcomed.
While the benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s are well known, that exercise usually comes in the form of yoga or tai chi, something which is certainly active but at the more relaxing end of the scale. But for Neuro Heroes, their definition of exercise for people with Parkinson’s is different. “We have a group of people who want to be challenged and pushed, as well as building their fitness,” says Laura Douglas, co-founder of the group.
The neuro ward at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has a new lease of life thanks to the wife of one former patient, who was inspired to act by how underfunded it was. Now, Caroline Critchlow is turning her fundraising attention to another neuro centre, with plans to create a therapy garden
Although it was back in 2013 that her husband underwent major brain surgery, Caroline Critchlow remembers it like it was yesterday. Not just for the understandable trauma, anxiety and distress caused by your husband undergoing a 22-hour operation, the longest ever performed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary - but equally for the state of the hospital neuro ward, which will forever be ingrained in her memory. “It was in a terrible state. The day room was in dreadful condition, which is the place relatives like me waited, and where patients took a break away from their beds. When you went to the loo, the toilet seat was cracked; the lino was held together with tape; the coffee table was broken; the wallpaper was peeling off,” recalls Caroline.
A woman left with a traumatic brain injury after a hit-and-run is now using her experiences to support and inspire others.
Emily Bradfield was left seriously injured after a car careered into her as she was walking to a London station one July evening in 2018. While thankfully she won her fight for survival, Emily faced a long road to recovery having suffered a brain injury, broken right arm, and heme-paresis on her whole left side. There also were fears about whether she would walk again.
