World Encephalitis Day takes place on the 22nd February — a day that is very close to my heart. I have been passionate about raising awareness in memory of my beautiful and incredibly strong mum, Ann Marie.

This year, I’ve decided to honour her by taking on a physical challenge and really pushing myself in her memory. Mum was from Paisley, and by a strange but perfect coincidence, the distance from Bristol (where I live) to Paisley is almost exactly 500 miles — just like the famous song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Scottish duo The Proclaimers!

So, throughout February, I’ll be cycling the equivalent of 500 miles on an exercise bike to raise awareness and funds for Encephalitis International.

What is encephalitis?

Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. It can be caused either by an infection that directly invades the brain (viral encephalitis) or by the immune system mistakenly attacking the brain (autoimmune encephalitis).

Encephalitis can be extremely serious. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment significantly improve outcomes, making immediate medical attention absolutely crucial.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can vary, but may include:

Acute mental status changes: Severe confusion, agitation, disorientation, or hallucinations.

Neurological symptoms: Seizures (fits), weakness, loss of movement, or numbness.

Physical signs: High fever, severe headache, stiff neck (often with sensitivity to light), nausea or vomiting.

Cognitive and behavioural changes: Sudden personality changes, impaired judgment, memory loss, or dementia-like symptoms.

Speech and vision problems: Difficulty speaking or understanding speech, double vision, or vision loss.

Symptoms can present differently in infants and young children.

How is encephalitis diagnosed?

Doctors may use a combination of tests, including:

Lumbar puncture (spinal tap): To analyse cerebrospinal fluid for infections or autoimmune markers (such as NMDAR encephalitis)

Brain imaging (MRI or CT scan): MRI is the gold standard and helps identify brain inflammation or swelling.

Electroencephalogram (EEG): Measures electrical activity in the brain to detect abnormal patterns.

Blood, urine, or throat tests: To identify specific viruses or infectious causes.

What happened to my mum?

Mum contracted the varicella-zoster virus — the virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles.This virus spread to her central nervous system, causing her brain to become inflamed.

She was eventually treated with intravenous acyclovir, nine days after she first began feeling unwell.

Over the following three years, Mum endured multiple, ongoing health complications, including (but not limited to): fungal blood infections, septic episodes, memory and hearing loss, repeated aspiration and pneumonia, recurrent sepsis, loss of movement in her arms and legs leading to being bedbound, inability to eat or drink safely requiring PEG feeding, recurrent UTIs, dehydration, and ultimately, cardiac arrest.

What’s my message?

Please know what encephalitis is and recognise the symptoms. If you are ever in doubt, seek medical attention immediately and push for the right diagnosis and treatment.

Encephalitis is a medical emergency — a code red condition — due to its potential to be fatal or cause life-changing, long-term consequences. Acting quickly can save lives.

And most importantly: spread the word 🤍