Brain injury survivors share their incredible life stories for new podcast series and online project

(10 May, London) Brain injury charity Headway East London is marking Action for Brain Injury Week with the launch of Who Are You Now? - a project exploring the real-life stories of brain injury survivors and the impact this injury has on both them and their families.

The past was a story which they could tell me. But I was zero in my own response, my own capabilities. Haunted is the right word for people with brain injuries that have no memory of many decades. I used to go to places and nothing came back: no memory, no essence. Now, I’ve decided to shut that door.* ‘Nifty’

Headway East London’s Who Are You Now? project first began in 2015, and resulted in ten powerful and inspiring stories of resilience and hope. This was accompanied by statistics showing that one person every 90 seconds is admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury in the UK (Headway, 2015). Today (10 May), with the support of solicitors Irwin Mitchell, the first two (of nine) brand-new stories will be published online accompanied by the first in a podcast series Who Are You Now? featuring oral testimony from survivors.

Highlighting the importance of raising awareness of brain injury, Alison Eddy, Managing Partner at Irwin Mitchell’s London office comments: “Who Are You Now? is such a fantastic campaign that really hits home on the severity of this type of injury. It lets the general public in on really intimate and heartbreaking stories, as survivors discuss how their lives have changed and how they are working to overcome what has happened.

She adds: “We are very proud to support this campaign and hope it raises awareness into the amazing work of Headway East London, and serves as an inspiration to others who may be in a similar situation after suffering a traumatic brain injury themselves.”

This project also coincides with the launch of Headway East London’s own brand new website on 9th May - www.headwayeastlondon.org. The site will feature direct input from survivors and the local community, with better access to services, information and project news.

Headway East London is a charity supporting people affected by brain injury. Working across 13 London boroughs, they offer specialist support and services for survivors and their family. They also offer therapies, advocacy, family support and community support work alongside their day service: a community venue in Hackney where people can make the most of their abilities and interests.

To read some of Headway East London’s survivors’ stories visit www.whoareyounow.org.

For more information on Headway East London visit www.headwayeastlondon.org

Action For Brain Injury Week (9 -15 May) aims to raise awareness of brain injury.

Statistics on Brain Injury

In the UK someone is admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury every 90 seconds (Headway UK, 2014).

• Figures show there were 348,934 admissions for an acquired brain injury in the UK in 2014. In 2013-14, there were 162,544 admissions for head injury. That equates to 445 every day, or one every three minutes.
• ABI admissions in the UK increased by 10% between 2005-6 and 2013-14

About brain injury

• Acquired brain injury (ABI) is an umbrella term for any injury to the brain sustained since birth, excluding neurodegenerative conditions.
• The most common forms of ABI are traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke. Other causes include brain tumour, meningitis, aneurysm, haemorrhage, encephalitis, anoxia, and other conditions.

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ENDS

For more information, survivor stories, interviews and assets please contact Laura Owens, Communications Manager

Email: laura.owens@headwayeastlondon.org Tel: 020 7749 7797

* Further Who Are You Now? Stories

"AK" was 29 when he was knocked off his bike in Camden by a hit and run driver in 2012. When he woke up he began fabricating memories (that his girlfriend was pregnant with twins and that he was interviewing for MI5). He talks about migration and wanderlust, moving from country to country and his hopes for the future.

People say, “Oh, it was a dream”: but I don’t acknowledge it as a dream. It was a memory, a real memory. Not based on real events, but a real memory. I’d recall those memories like I’d remember something from my childhood: there’s literally no distinction for me.

"Nifty" was 27 in 1990 when she was the passenger in a van that crashed. As a result of her brain injury she has lost 20 years-worth of memories. She discusses the difficulties of this when trying to forge an identity for herself.

The past was a story which they could tell me. But I was zero in my own response, my own capabilities. Haunted is the right word for people with brain injuries that have no memory of many decades. I used to go to places and nothing came back: no memory, no essence. Now, I’ve decided to shut that door.