Once upon a time there was a girl from Shetland, who loved to rush around at 100mph, however, on this particular sunny April day in 2021, she made a fashion faux pas (unusual for me I know 😜) and wore a pair of wide leg trousers….and then decided to rush down the stairs in her house at 100mph.  The house was being renovated and so, at the bottom of said stairs was nothing but concrete.  The concrete was to break her fall with her head taking the brunt of the force.

The following  9 days were spent in hospital with a fractured skull and bleeding/bruising to her brain! She was one of the lucky ones, did not need surgery and, most importantly, survived!

It might seem silly but the excruciating pain was only a tiny part of a much bigger picture…a picture that consisted of confusion, frustration, sadness, mood swings, tiredness, loss of confidence, loss of smell/taste, loss of ability to multi task, inability to remember basic words,  hard work, resilience and determination to name a few.  

I can’t remember anything about the accident….my very clever brain has blanked out that experience, however, it hasn’t wiped it from the memory of my family.  A TBI (traumatic brain injury) doesn’t just affect the person involved, it affects their family and friends too.  PTSD is a very real side effect that, unfortunately, can continue years after the event and while the NHS did a good job of helping fix me, the others affected are often forgotten.  This is where Headway were invaluable.  There was a wealth of information on the website that helped support both my family and myself.   It covered everything from practical advice on how to support someone to advise for employers on supporting someone going back to work.  

Having a TBI and being off work for a year can be quite a lonely place but reading about other peoples experiences on Headway made me feel more positive.    I slowly started running again (once I wasn’t so wobbly on my feet) and set myself a goal to run a 5k.  5k in the bag I decided to go for 10k in under an hour…done!  I then decided that I would love to run a marathon when I turned 40 and wanted it to be a marathon major.  Not in a million years did I think I would actually get a chance to run for Headway…but here I am….

And so, on 21st April 2024 I will have a peerie run around London AND raise money for an amazing charity that holds a special place in my heart.

And for those of you wondering….I still have my wide leg trousers 😜

Brain injury can challenge every aspect of your life, walking, talking, thinking and feeling and the losses can be severe and permanent. It can mean losing the life you once lived and the person you once were.We all think 'it will never happen to me', but every year around 350,000 people are admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury. That's one every 90 seconds.A brain injury can happen to anyone, at any time. When it does, Headway is here to help.Join our team of #HeadwayHeroes taking part in the TCS London Marathon 2024 to help us continue improving life after brain injury. Please take the time to read their inspiring stories and help them achieve their fundraising targets by sponsoring them!£250.00 covers the average cost of emergency travel to and from hospital over a 4-week period to visit a loved one following a brain injury. £500.00 can fund the running costs of our nurse-led helpline service for one day, whilst £2,480.00 can support the service for one whole week.