Portrait: Andrew
At the end of the day, I survived all this which is incredible and I am so happy I can still hug my wife and daughters and make them happy because their happiness is the most important to me.
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 normalise 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 realise, 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: Natalie
I first shared my story in April 2019, while at the start of my recovery. Now, I am two years into my journey and have made great improvements, all thanks to the amazing rehabilitation support I got from all the NHS services during my stay in hospital and also in the community after discharge.
Portrait: Tara
In February 2022, I developed a sudden onset double vision. I've always worn glasses and put this down to not having had an eye test since before the COVID-19 pandemic...
Portrait: Jodie
My TBI story began in 2018 with The Beast From The East. I fell at a train station as I was visiting my brother for a few days. I was discharged from A&E after a few hours, with a diagnosis and leaflet on concussion, as well as a diagnosis of whiplash. I was also advised to take paracetamol for any pain.
Portrait: Sina-Marie
A warm hello from Germany. I'm Sina-Marie, 29 years old and a ruptured brain aneurysm survivor. Since I found out about SameYou, I've wished it would have existed back in 2015 and wanted to tell my story for anybody interested. So here it is...
Portrait: Julianne
My name is Julianne and at 18 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with a massive 15mm aneurysm near my occipital nerve. The last four years have been the biggest roller coaster of my life. I now have two sons, Aiden Grey who is three, and Sawyer John who is one, but it was a huge battle getting here.
Portrait: Kassandra
My name is Kassandra and I suffer from chronic migraine with aura, resulting from two traumatic head injuries. When I was three years old, I fell off a bed and landed on the hardwood floor, on the top of my head. About six months later, I started getting terrible migraines constantly. I was diagnosed with chronic migraine at eight years old.
Portrait: Emma
Emma's story highlights how, despite experiencing a stroke and facing multiple life-saving surgeries, she had the courage and determination to rebuild her life.
Portrait: Duncan
11 years ago, I was a 38-year-old P.E. teacher and father of 2 young children when I collapsed in my bathroom early one morning while getting ready for work...
Portrait: John
My story takes place back in May of 2000 when I was 10-years-old. Around 5pm on a Friday afternoon I started having a bad headache. I told my parents about it and they handed me some Tylenol, assuming it was just my allergies. That didn’t solve the problem.
I later found out that I was experiencing a brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation) - a tangle of blood vessels that connects arteries to veins. It had started to rupture on the left side of my brain causing the pain to get worse. I told my parents I was dying.