A mother, lost and found
Six years ago, Claire Robertson woke from a coma, surrounded by her husband and
children. She had no idea who they were. Decades of family life had vanished from
her memory, destroyed by a viral infection
Read more . . .
My daughter doesn't recognise my face
When Hannah Read fell on holiday. mum Louise, 40, hoped it was just a bug. But soon Hannah was flighting for life and. as Louise reveals, she'd never be the same child again.
Like any mum, I spend most afternoons outside my daughter's school, waiting to pick her up and hear all about her day.
But while other parents simply smile or wave as their child comes through the gates, I know I'll have to shout my 11-year-old daughter Hannah's name otherwise she just won't recognise me.
No matter how hard Hannah's eyes search the crowd, she won't be able to tell who I am until she hears my voice.
And each time I call her name and she runs towards me with a beaming grin of recognition I'm reminded of just how brave my girl is.
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Daily Mirror - 29 July 2009
Rebecca Adlington: Olympic gold? After what she has been through, it's my big sister who should get the medal
There is nothing glamorous about being Britain's golden girl - even if you do have a pair of custom-made Jimmy Choos in your wardrobe to mark your success.
Rebecca Adlington's brutal training regime, coupled with 5.20am starts, is unrelenting and the 20-year-old double Olympic swimming champion is the first to admit that with the world championships in Rome just around the corner, the going is tougher than ever
It doesn't get easier just because I've won gold in the 400 and 800 metres. The pressure is on to keep matching that success both for myself and for Britain, even though there are times I'm so exhausted I feel like a zombie. But I want to be even better.'
Remarkably, she credits her astounding drive and determination to her older sister Laura, 22, who almost died after suffering encephalitis - inflammation of the brain. It was caused, in her case, by a rare complication of glandular fever.
'What happened to Laura was terrifying and knocked me and my family for six,' says Rebecca. 'We thought we were going to lose her. Amazingly, she pulled through - thanks to her sheer determination.
'The experience made me stronger. I don't think I'd be the person I am today had Laura's trauma not happened.'
Indeed, Rebecca is so passionate about how lucky she is to still have her sister alive that she is now an ambassador for the Encephalitis Society.
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Mail on Sunday - 11 July 2009
How a cold sore virus turned me into Mr Angry
Anna Kleanthous-Mercer loves her husband Dave. ‘But he’s not the man I married,’ she says sadly. Dave was a reserved gentle giant; now he’s an exuberant chatterbox who will act on impulse, but is also prone to fits of extreme rage.
He used to work as a chauffeur; now his driving is so erratic that his wife made him promise he’ll never again sit behind the wheel of a car.
He used to dress conservatively in suits and ties; now he dresses more like a flamboyant teenager than a 42-year-old and has to be reminded to take a shower.
I can handle his pink hoodies, but I draw the line at too much bling jewellery,’ says Anna wryly.
The cause of this transformation is encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. And three years after Dave developed it, he is still living with the devastating after-effects.
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Daily Mail - 11 May 2009
My mum's fight for her life and personality as illness struck
ENCEPHALITIS – inflammation of the brain – is most commonly caused by a viral infection and consequences of the illness can be devastating. Nicolle Thompson talks candidly about her family’s experience of the potentially fatal condition.
A CRUEL disease that steals people’s memories, their personalities and even their lives.
The brain swells. Symptoms can be as insignificant as a headache or as serious as a coma.
So, how many people have even heard of encephalitis?
There are thought to be 4,000 new cases in the UK each year.
t causes inflammation of the brain and can be caused by an infection or by the immune system attacking the brain by mistake.
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Evening Chronicle - 27 April 2009
Last modified: January 2011