Your Stories
Your Stories
Here, our members and volunteers share their stories and experiences of encephalitis.
If you are in any way affected by these stories please do get in touch with our support team.
Many of the stories and videos below were filmed as part of the My Brain and Me project which is proudly supported by the National Lottery Community Fund. Funding has also been provided by GSK towards developing our My Brain and Me project. The videos can also be viewed on our YouTube channel.
Share your story
If you would like to share your own story, please visit our Submit Your Story page.
These stories are incredibly valuable for others to read. They can help people, directly or indirectly affected, to understand more about encephalitis and deal feelings such as loneliness and isolation.
We usually ask for written stories with sub-headings relating to things such as diagnosis, treatment and ongoing recovery.
We ask that you do not name individuals or medical centers without their consent. Please use generic terms such as friend, parent or doctor.
If you have any questions please do get in touch.
LGi1 Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Pauline's Story
From nurse to patient - In this lived experience episode of The Encephalitis Podcast, Prav talks to Pauline – one of our wonderful Team Encephalitis volunteers. Pauline shares her own story of LGi1 autoimmune encephalitis, life as a nurse and about being a support volunteer for Team Encephalitis.
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Anti-NMDAR Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Judiel's Story
Judiel Diaz, a nurse from the Philippines, shares her powerful journey of surviving anti-NMDAR autoimmune encephalitis. Misdiagnosed at first, she eventually received life-saving treatment during the height of the pandemic. From memory loss and hallucinations to regaining her identity and passing the US nursing exam, Judiel’s story is one of resilience, love, and hope.
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Anti-MOG Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis - Theo's Story
That Tuesday morning, Theo walked into our bedroom with a slightly dazed look saying he felt sick and proceeded to lie on our bed. Within minutes, he had his first tonic clonic seizure. It continued for several frantic minutes while paramedics made their way to us. A few hours later we were let go from A&E saying that it’s not uncommon to have an unexplained afebrile seizure and many people never go on to have another.
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Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) Encephalitis Lived Experience - Sameer's Story
I was attending university, making new friends, and working part-time jobs to support myself. Life was moving forward beautifully. But then, everything changed. It started with a simple fever—nothing unusual, or so I thought. I expected to recover in a few days. But the fever didn’t go away. It worsened.
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Viral Encephalitis Lived Experience - Craig's Story
Craig shares his eight-month journey through illness and recovery of viral encephalitis. From the sudden onset of symptoms to life-threatening seizures, temporary blindness, and the emotions of recovery.
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CASPR2 Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Subha’s Story
CASPR2 autoimmune encephalitis. What began with subtle symptoms like blurry vision and confusion quickly escalated into a terrifying medical crisis, leading to memory loss, personality changes, hallucinations, and neurological disorientation.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience- Jenny's Story
Jenny shares her journey after being diagnosed with Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis What began as unexplained seizures and confusion was initially dismissed as anxiety, leading to a delayed diagnosis that turned her life upside down. Now involved in volunteer work and brain injury support groups, she uses her experience to help others with similar conditions.
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Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) Lived Experience - Regináe's Story
My name is Regináe and I was 4 when I was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM). My dad noticed that I was acting strange and acting like I was possessed, then all of a sudden I started shaking constantly and couldn’t stop. My parents then admitted me to hospital and they didn't know what was wrong with me.
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Acute Necrotising Rhombencephalitis Lived Experience - Eldon's Story
In April 2023, life as I knew it changed in an instant. It began with an ache in my lower back—something I brushed off as a minor strain. I even visited an osteopath, convinced I had just overdone it somehow. But the discomfort didn’t ease. Within days, I tested positive for COVID-19, and soon after, the real nightmare began.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Alice's Story
I was a healthy 27 year old woman who loved paddled boarding and aerial circus prior to being diagnosed with Anti-NMDAR Autoimmune Encephalitis. I was on a weekend away with my mother and partner in England and complained of sore ears. Later that night I took my first seizure and an ambulance was called! My symptoms began suddenly, manifesting with seizures, manic psychotic episodes, hallucinations, agitation and oral facial dyskinesia.
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Tick-Borne Encephalitis Lived Experience - Antti's Story
I got tick-borne encephalitis in autumn 2023, here some memories and insights of the complex journey with the disease. The whole thing started in a Teams meeting with a customer. I suddenly felt quite nauseous and had to close the meeting early, started to vomit and horrible headache begun. Luckily, I was at home and my wife came soon to check my situation. Later, I heard that she took me to an emergency unit at the University center hospital next day when my fever raised up to 41 ˚C – I don’t have any clear memories of that.
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Anti-GAD Encephalitis Lived Experience - Alison's Story
Alison shares her experience of Anti-GAD encephalitis and how she went on to raise funds through her gym, Life’s Peachy’ Fitness for Encephalitis International. I started falling sick in April 2024 after my husband came home from a work trip with stomach bug. He was better within 24-48 hours while I got progressively more unwell. I […]
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Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Diane's Story
Diane had auto-immune encephalitis in 2018, when she was 15 which encompassed months in a semi-coma state where she couldn’t talk, walk, eat or see due to complete vision loss from high intracranial pressure.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Vickie's Story
I don’t remember anything. My first memory is of me being told that I couldn’t go back to work, I was very ill, and those of you who have had it remember what that feels like. I was apparently in an induced coma, had a lumber puncture, seizures, nearly died… and I was lucky to be speaking and as recovered as I could be.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Roz's Story
Roz, who was affected twice by anti NMDAR encephalitis while completing her secondary education, shares her story with us. The video was filmed as part of our My Brain and Me Project.
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Meningoencephalitis Lived Experience - Kristen's Story
In May of 2023 I started with a very high fever. I passed it off as normal; as I got sick very often, just had pneumonia a month prior. I work with young children which I believe weakened my immune system over the years. I’d only travelled out of the country 8 months ago but was otherwise fine. After day 2, the fever wasn't subsiding and came out in a red rash in my extremities, prompting me to go to a doctor.
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Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis - Ismael's story, told by wife, Rosa
For me, as his wife, has been a challenge to adapt the new family dynamics with the illness. My advice to all of us who have a family member with encephalitis is that as primary caregivers we take care of our physical and emotional health. In my case, I had to attend psychotherapy and take medication for depression and anxiety.
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West Nile Virus Lived Experience - Jim's Story
I went on holiday to Goa in India in March 2024 . I remember getting a couple of mosquito bites but they don't usually affect me, so thought no more of it. Upon return to the UK, after a couple of days I started to feel unwell, after another couple of days it got much worse and I researched the symptoms and thought it may have been Malaria. 6 days after returning from holiday I called 111 and as a result was taken into hospital in Southampton.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Matt's Story
Matt, an architect from South Africa, was diagnosed with Anti-NMDAR encephalitis in 2019 while living in Germany. His story was filmed as part of the My Brain and Medicine event on 25th April 2022.
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Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) Encephalitis Lived Experience - Lizzie's Story
Before my brain decided to hit the eject button on my memories, I had a life that made sense. I ran an animal rescue that I had started years before. It was busy and, at times, chaotic. I had my routines - work and home ones. I knew what I was doing (most of the time). I could tell you where I left my keys. I could tell you who the actor on the screen was and his entire filmography. My memory was actually my superpower.
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Viral Encephalitis Lived Experience - Rochelle's Story
Dr Rochelle Smith had to learn to read and speak again after falling ill with viral encephalitis in 2016. She would go on to graduate with a degree in medicine and a top award from the University of the West Indies
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Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Marleigh's Story
Marleigh was just three years old when she started showing symptoms of Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis. However it would take nearly a year, a brain injury and many life threatening status epilepticus seizures before this diagnosis was confirmed.
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Chikungunya Lived Experience - Parthasarathy's story told by his father, Venkatesh
Parthasarathy's story of chikungunya encephalitis told by his father, Venkatesh. Interviewed by Dr.Uddhav Kinhal from Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Bangalore, India (video below). This was filmed to form part of Encephalitis International's 'Climate change, infectious diseases and encephalitis' Campaign 2025.
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West Nile Virus Encephalitis Lived Experience - Sue Ann
Sue Ann who was diagnosed with West Nile Virus encephalitis in 2023. In this special encephalitis podcast episode, she shares her lived experience story with our Chief Medical Writer, Prav.
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