In 2015 our family’s life was turned upside down, with what we thought was just a common cold developed into my uncle being rushed into hospital and within hours placed on life support. Over next 682 days in hospital my uncle Nick battled Guillain-Barré syndrome, with great help from the NHS staff in both Blackpool and Preston. This was only start of his recovery journey to which he’s still battling hard to this day and makes all the family extremely proud of how far he’s recovered and continues to grow strong.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare autoimmune condition affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually leading to temporary or long-term paralysis. Around 80% of those with GBS will make a good recovery, but between 5-10% of people will not survive and the other 10-15% may be left with severe mobility or dexterity issues. GAIN helps people understand and manage both acute and chronic variants of the syndrome, raises awareness, and promotes clinical and non-clinical research into these conditions. For more info visit www.gaincharity.org.uk