In October 2017, my mum was diagnosed with a rare condition that left her with a life changing brain injury. As a result, she was hospitalised for three months and subsequently treated in a rehabilitation centre for over five months.

Her stay at Daniel Yorath House in Garforth, just outside Leeds, was supported by the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) – an organisation that strives to provide the best quality neurobehavioural rehabilitation for people with complex and challenging needs after brain injury. Daniel Yorath House was opened in 1992 and was one of the first assessment and rehabilitation centres for brain injury in the UK. When speaking about her time at DYH, mum sings the high praises of the hard-working, caring, and highly knowledgeable staff, and how they always made her feel important.

The collaborative work done by Daniel Yorath House and BIRT helped get my mum back to her home in York, living semi-independently, something that seemed unlikely to happen back in October.

Having seen close up the great work that BIRT does, I’m delighted that MRM has chosen BIRT as charity of the year for 2018.

BIRT is a branch of the umbrella charity, The Disabilities Trust.

For more info, read my blog post on the MRM website.