Over the course of 2009 Nick Wheeler and I will be undertaking a number of fundraising activities to raise money for The Encephalitis Society, the first of these activities is The Bupa 10K on 25 May, we will then be doing another 10K on the 12 July which is the Great British 10K' and the final run (at the moment) is the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 11 Oct. We will hopefully organise some other events that we'll update you about as the year progresses.
No-one in my organisation had ever heard of Encephalitis until it visited us in the most personal of ways. In September 2007, at 39 years old, a regular gym-goer, feeling ‘at my prime’ and with my company Upfront & Personnel booming and at its most successful I became ill and over the course of a 2 to 3 week period my condition deteriorated and no-one seemed able to diagnose the problem. Eventually following a seizure I was rushed to hospital and over the forthcoming weeks it was revealed that I had a condition called Meningo-encephalitis. So this was how my family, friends, staff and I discovered the impact that encephalitis has, not only on the afflicted person, but on all those around him or her.
After being discharged from the hospital I still had little to no understanding of encephalitis but after a search on the internet (and a few false starts with misspelling) I came across the Encephalitis Society, the only resource and charity of its type in the world. After devouring as much information as I could in my fragile state I realised I needed more personal information, relevant to me so I picked up the phone and called the charity...
It transformed my life at that time, I was able to talk to someone who understood how I felt and what I was experiencing and could talk me through it and give me tips and advice on how to manage after-effects of Encephalitis and where to go for continued support from the NHS and professional medical staff.
I’m not fully recovered but I’m a heck of a lot better than I was and I know I’m much luckier that a lot of people who are hit by this potentially deadly illness. And now I’m in a position to help the charity that helped me and extended the hand of friendship when I so desperately needed comfort and support. My team at Upfront & Personnel are all happy to support and help me as we nominate The Encephalitis Society our Charity for 2009.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain caused by infection (usually viral) or by autoimmune disease. Encephalitis is indiscriminate, striking adults and children alike, showing no respect for age, gender, ethnicity or culture. Mortality rates are high and many of those who survive are left with an acquired brain injury, the degree and severity of which will vary.
The Encephalitis Society was founded in 1994, is a registered charity and the only resource of its kind in the world. The Society provides direct support and information to people affected by Encephalitis in the and , answering over 2000 calls for support and information from people affected and their families. Their website receives 2000 hits from all over the world each week and the staff team do what they can to respond to the many requests and emails received. An Independent Audit in 2005 concluded that for those who contacted the Society it was a “light in a very dark place”.
During 2006 and 2007 the Society has been fortunate to secure Martin Kemp as its Patron, Mathew Bose (of Emmerdale fame) as their ambassador, and the internationally renowned neuropsychologist and researcher, Professor Barbara Wilson, OBE, as its President.
http://www.encephalitis.info/
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Encephalitis Society gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor me now!
