2018 - My Brain: My Story
The historic city of Edinburgh was the picturesque setting for our latest member event, My Brain: My Story, on Saturday, October 20.
We welcomed 90 people – some from as far away as Ireland and Cornwall – to the PlayFair Library at the University of Edinburgh for an afternoon listening to the stories of people who have been directly and indirectly affected by encephalitis.
There was also ample chances for attendees to meet and talk with one another and build lasting friendships.
Speakers included Alison Murdoch, the author of Bed 12, who spoke about caring for her husband in the wake of his falling ill with encephalitis; Joe Lamont and his mum, Emma; Pete Crane, nurse Pauline Murray; Mitch Orr; and Richard Beaumont who was appearing at his first Encephalitis Society event.
We also handed out Fundraising Awards to Aislin Smith, Mia Rogers and to Dylan Penberthy and Sarah Watson.
Phillippa Chapman, Chief Executive (Acting), said:
Feedback from Saturday suggests that everyone who attended My Brain: My Story thought it was a very positive experience which is wonderful to hear. We are very grateful to those supporters who bravely took to the podium to talk about their experiences with encephalitis. There was honesty, a bit of humour, wisdom, lots of determination – and quite a few tears shed – by everyone about the difficulties of recovering from encephalitis. It was really clear to see that the impact of encephalitis is not just felt by the individual but by the whole family.