Hey All,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Back in October 2018 my partner suffered a concussion which regressed into her developing post-concussion syndrome. You might be wondering what post-concussion syndrome is, so here's a definition -

'Post-concussion syndrome is a complex disorder in which various symptoms — such as headaches and dizziness — last for weeks and sometimes months after the injury that caused the concussion.

Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that usually happens after a blow to the head. It can also occur with violent shaking and movement of the head or body. You don't have to lose consciousness to get a concussion or post-concussion syndrome. In fact, the risk of post-concussion syndrome doesn't appear to be associated with the severity of the initial injury.'

The initial few months were very hard for her, the PCS affected her life in every way possible. She had to stop working, training (Jujitsu, kettlebells, running, the whole lot - considering training is a big part of our lives), and even basic things such as looking at screens became challenging as they would trigger headaches/migraines (imagine not being able to watch Brooklyn 99!)

While it was a tough time for her, 9 months down the line she's doing much better, having rebuilt a new life around her PCS. Especially through her art she's been able to positively re-frame the PCS and it's concurrent symptoms.

However, what we found through this life-changing experience was that her rehabilitation was majority self-research because there is very little accessible information out there about PCS and brain injuries in general. Likewise, the majority of information is quite broad, not-personalised and contradictory. All of this makes for a very confusing landscape for people who've just suffered a brain injury!

Nonetheless, it's not all doom and gloom, there are some causes/charities doing some good work out there, one of them is BIRD and this is why they're my chosen charity to raise money for as I cycle from London to Brighton. 

B.I.R.D. is a brain injury rehabilitation and development charity.

Here's a little section on what BIRD do - 'At BIRD, we offer genuine hope for improvement when all hope seems lost.

The term “brain injury” covers a huge variety of conditions. At BIRD, we make no distinction between types of brain injury and aim to treat people of all ages and all levels of severity.

Many people with brain injury are born with the problem due to genetic reasons or complications during pregnancy and birth. Other people suffer trauma during their life from accidents, assaults and natural disorders such as strokes.'

So jump on-board, give what you can and help me raise money for this ever-important charity as I cycle from London to Brighton on my bike and have fun along the way. 

I deeply appreciate every penny raised :)

Now for the compliance yada yada so you feel safe : Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.