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As many of you will know, my 2023 could have been a better one. Unfortunately, as a result of three separate concussion incidents within the space of a year, I was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome in September. Post-concussion syndrome can come in a variety of symptoms, the symptoms I faced (some of which I continue to face to a lesser degree) include the following - severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, poor sleep, memory difficulties, difficulty concentrating, irritable mood, fatigue, tearfulness and anxiety.

These symptoms resulted in me having to take 11 weeks off work, with no sport (the cause of two of the concussions) and minimal to no screen time allowed. For those that know me, since I started work, 'work and sport' has literally defined my life and being unable to do either of these was a mental challenge and left me in some dark places that I never wish to revisit.

Ultimately, despite some of the physical side effects of my diagnosis being at times excruciatingly painful, I have struggled more mentally. This is in large part as a result of finding it incredibly difficult to process the second of my three concussion incidents. For those that don't know, whilst on holiday with school mates, I was involved in an unprovoked assault by two men. My good mate, Rob that witnessed the incident from afar describes how I was cowardly knocked unconscious from behind and then continued to be assaulted as I lay on the ground motionless. I find this incident very hard to deal with, not only because it was a groundless attack or because I was defenseless or even because the two guys that did it ran off laughing but because of the lack of justice in the situation. I have since been told by a number of medical professionals that I have seen as part of my recovery process that I am lucky to be alive from this. This doesn't sit well with me.

Immediately after the assault I was left unconscious for over 10 minutes, convulsing and shaking on the floor. For what reason? To the day, I wish I knew the answer. I have found it very hard to come to terms with the long term psychological effects. I have never experienced the shear uncontrollable emotions and mental torment that this incident left me feeling. Rage, anger, frustration all whilst searching for a reason for why? After my third concussion, the onset of the lasting effects of post concussion syndrome acted as a constant reminder of the incident, compounding the issue further. After coming back from the holiday I felt very vulnerable in busy places with people im not acquainted with. Thankfully, I have since sought professional psychological help which is helping me process the incident properly and deal with the trauma. If anyone is struggling mentally with anything I couldn't recommend seeking professional medical help more.

Post various CT, MRI scans and optician appointments to check damage to my optics I was also told that I have no permanent damage to my brain. However, the symptoms of post concussion syndrome may last up to 18 months (from September) due to the nerve damage from the incidents. The lack of permanent symptoms is a huge relief and overall, I have been so lucky. Since my most recent neurologist appointment in December I have been gradually phased back into work to the point where last week I was back to full working hours. I have also since returned to non contact sport. As a result, in a bid to getting fully back to normality and to draw a line under everything that has happened, I have decided to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April.

Now fully understanding of the importance of a fully functioning brain, I will be running for the charity 'Headway'. Headway is a UK-wide charity which helps people with all aspects of brain injury.

Thank you for taking your time to read through my reason why. Any money that you wish to donate will be greatly appreciated.