Portrait: Julie
This year Julie signed up for a new adventure… taking on a tough trek through Ibiza for SameYou’s Bike & Hike challenge. Here she speaks about the joy of taking part - and how she is ready to sign up for the 2027 event.
Survivor Stories
Many of you have written to SameYou about your experience of brain injury and told us how you identified with Emilia's story. There was a common feeling of relief about hearing a familiar story from someone young, and speaking out to normalize the injury. People were comforted that Emilia had gone through something similar to them or to a family member or loved one.
The overwhelming emotion was of gratitude that Emilia was breaking her silence and that enabled and emboldened so many others to tell their brain injury story - some for the first time. It was as if people now have permission to speak out about their story.
I get days when I just want to give up. But after hearing your story it has made me realize, I'm not on my own!
You have told us that by sharing your stories, and reading other people's, offers hope, comfort and much needed peer-to-peer support that is often hard to find.
SameYou have created this support resource called Portraits to tell the untold story of brain injury. If you would like to share your story, you can submit your story via our Share your story page.
Portrait: Kamana'o
I was walking downstairs early one morning on my way to work. The stair railing detached, and I fell three meters headfirst onto the tile floor. When my wife found me, I was not breathing. By the time the paramedics arrived, I was breathing again. I have no recollection of that day, and my memory is spotty for the 2-4 months prior.
Portrait: Sophia
When I was 25 years old, I suffered a cardiac arrest, as my heart went out of rhythm due to a complication called long QT syndrome. I had to have a pacemaker and an ICD implanted as my heart was in great danger of going into cardiac arrest again.
Portrait: Valerie
I was attacked while at work. I had just been acknowledged companywide for the work that I had done within the community. During the attack my head flew back, and everything went white.
Portrait: Antonio
Antonio Iannella is a writer and published author. In this excerpt from his memoir, Antonio writes about the impact of stroke. Left paralyzed from the neck down, he navigates the shocking reality of recovery in a foreign country, grappling with the physical, emotional and psychological toll. Through humor, vulnerability and raw honesty, he reflects on the meaning of ‘normality’ and the long road to healing, highlighting both the struggles and the unexpected moments of grace that come with redefining life after a traumatic event.
Portrait: Kyle
My name is Kyle and I am from a small town on Vancouver Island in Canada. I am a brain injury survivor and part of a marginalized group that has not voiced or spoken out as much as needed.
Portrait: David
In October 2013, after an evening out, I awoke from sleep with a bad headache and feeling sick. I didn’t know at the time, but I was having a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Portrait: Adam
I was 15 when my injury happened on December 2, 2005. I collapsed and fractured my skull while out with my family, which was caused by multiple blood clots and bleeds on my brain and skull.
Portrait: Deya
My name is Deya. My stroke story starts when I was 28-year-old Dispensing Optician and Practice Manager at an independent opticians in Leicester. I remember sitting and having a really bad headache, one like I've never had before.
Portrait: Laura
My name is Laura Renner, and I’m a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse and author. I’m sharing my journey of surviving and recovering from a traumatic brain injury, hoping my story can inspire and support others walking a similar path.