My name is Ailynn. I am a Brain Injury patient in recovery who will be running the 2023 NYC Marathon this November and the London Marathon in April next year in support of Brain Research UK. 

This is a joint fundraiser for Brain Research UK for both NYC and London marathon efforts.

Here I share my story in hopes that it will be compelling enough for you to make a donation to Brain Research UK.

About a year ago, I experienced the most excruciating headaches of my life - unbeknownst to me at the time; I had two brain bleeds (Subarachnoid Haemorrhage) one week apart that went undetected until I was rushed into A&E in Worthing Hospital on 1st April 2022 (ironically on April Fool’s Day) and subsequently got transferred to RSCH on the same day for treatment.

I was met with an “Ah. it’s an April Fool’s joke!” reaction by the few people I phoned in attempt to arrange “logistics”. 

The next day on 2nd April 2022, I was woken up at about 8.30 am by my nurse and given 30 to 45 mins' notice about a surgery that was about to take place.

I was frantic; nobody mentioned any surgical procedures beforehand.

In less than 10 hours after being admitted to Neuro ICU High Dependency ward, I went into surgery - as the nurses and doctors were prepping me for surgery - I thought to myself, “This really cannot be how I go - I’ve not said my thanks and goodbyes to people I love.” 

I knew I wanted to live, and I desperately needed more time - there were still so many dreams and things I wanted to accomplish and experience for myself. I realised that I have been rather complacent with my time. 

Dr Bucur (my Neuro doctor) and Dr Panos (my Neuro Surgeon) were baffled by how I sustained two brain ruptures in a week, which was apparently quite rare. They were even more dumbfounded by how I was still functioning for a whole week because so many people don’t survive upon the 1st rupture. I still had my sight, could walk and talk. But they explained that this would not be the case for much longer - in short, I will most definitely die from the bleeds had I not agreed to the surgery to stop the bleeds.

Fortunately for me - the surgery was a success. 

Not only was I lucky to be alive, but I was also extremely lucky not to have sustained any major impairment to my vision, speech, and mobility. However, I found it difficult to respond to text messages as I had temporarily lost my ability to spell for a few days post-surgery.

Fast forward exactly the same day, 1 year later, I ran my first full marathon (Brighton Marathon) on 2nd April 2023. This could not have happened, and It’s all thanks to my amazing doctors and nurses who saved my life and the love and support from my friends and family. 

Unlike many who did not survive their brain injury, I was given a 2nd chance (the only chance) to decide what to make of my life moving forward. I decided that I would show up for myself, that I am not going to waste the remainder of my life not working towards achieving my purpose in life - to realise my full potential of becoming the best version of myself. 

Time won’t wait, nor should I. 

SO, WHY AM I FUNDRAISING?:

• Personal Dreams & Goals. One of them is to complete Abbott World Major Marathons which consist of 6 marathons (London, Tokyo, Berlin, NYC, Chicago and Boston) within 3 years.

• Brain Injury Awareness (To help others be aware of what the signs are in hopes that others will seek help if they have similar symptoms) 
  

• The advancement of Medical Science in the Neurological field. (Help others like me who have will have life long treatment to help prevent another bleed, also to help research future prevention and cures)

With everything I’ve talked about so far, the hardest part is the recovery. I am currently on a waitlist to enter a neuro rehabilitation program to recover/re-learn some neuro skills. So many simple tasks that I took for granted before, are now a big challenge. Whether that is spelling, reading a text or even simple mathematical calculations, thought process etc. I want to bring awareness that the hard work doesn’t stop after surviving the bleeds. If you know anyone who has gone through similar events, please know that the rest of the journey is much harder. Be patient and be kind. My journey has only just started and I hope that I can give hope to others and create awareness through what I am doing.  

Fundraising for Brain Research UK have never been so personal. My hope is that by funding Brain Research UK, it would lead to the advancement of treatments and prevention of neurological conditions - to save lives and better the lives of future patients.

Last but not least, if you’re still reading this, my friend and race buddy, Tasj Douglas-Smith is also currently fundraising for Brain Research UK in “honour” of me. We are both pursuing the Abbott dream and will be running the 2024 London Marathon alongside each other. 

You can read about her fundraising efforts here: 

https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/natasja-douglas-smith

If it’s not too much to ask - I’d appreciate it if you could spare a few bucks for my fundraiser. It would mean so much to me if you could share this page and spread the word be it via social media platforms or via word-of-mouth.

I can’t thank you enough for helping me achieve my dreams.

**Update** I’ve recently been taken off the long waitlist and have secured myself a place for the neuro rehabilitation  program. It will be a 6 weeks program and the next steps will be assessed once the 1st phase of the program is completed.. My 1st session with Dr Karren Towgood (my Neuropsychologist) will be on the 22nd August 2023. I’m overjoyed. ☺️