Charlotte Leeming
Ambassador
Charlotte, a presenter and reporter with BBC Look North, was invited to become an Ambassador for Encephalitis International in March 2016. She was guest of honour at our Beacon Lighting to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.
Charlotte said:
My daughter was seriously ill with encephalitis. Rushed to hospital after a seizure it was an agonising few days before the doctors realised what she had. They said it was a virus – encephalitis. To us it was a long name we couldn’t remember, but we were told there was a chance it might leave her brain damaged.
It was a tough few weeks, but thanks to the wonderful care at Leeds, my daughter is now back to her cartwheeling self – happy and healthy. But it has changed us as a family. We don’t take things for granted anymore. I want to do all I can to raise awareness of inflammation of the brain. As a parent we’re warned about meningitis but we also need to know about encephalitis. Encephalitis International has helped us deal with what happened. And we’ve been able to meet other people affected. That means so much, knowing we’re not alone.
