To mark Action for Brain Injury week, Headway Jersey has rolled out a ‘Some Days are Better than Others’ fundraising and awareness campaign.
It aims to show that people recovering from a brain injury may also be dealing with hidden side-effects.
Lou Stirling, fundraising and events co-ordinator for the charity, said: ‘Coming to terms with an acquired brain injury is tough, and that is before the recovery process has even begun.
‘Life for the individual, family and friends will never be the same again. The timescale of recovery varies immensely, as do the effects each brain injury survivor experiences.’
She added that the charity worked with brain injury survivors so that they could learn to ‘accept the good days and the bad’.
‘Some days the effects will be bearable and the individual may feel like their old selves again. However, for many, bad days are just as common as the better ones,’ she said.
Miss Stirling said she hoped that the campaign, which would feature information stalls on the side-effects, would also raise awareness about brain injury.
‘People need to understand that although somebody may look absolutely fine on the outside it does not mean they are not battling side-effects on the inside.
‘There are lots of side-effects that can come from a brain injury, such as fatigue, headaches and cognitive impairment, that may affect speech or co-ordination or the ability to grip. Some people have been called drunk because of how they walk.’
The charity, which needs £340,000 a year to operate, is hoping to raise £10,000 during the week. Around 130 brain injury survivors work with Headway Jersey, which receives £29,000 in States funding a year.
Islanders are also asked to wear a hat to raise funds for the Hats4Headway event on Friday.
To find out more visit Headway Jersey’s website.
TWO Islanders who both survived brain injuries are to row and cycle the equivalent of11 times around Jersey to raise awareness of the long-term affects that head traumas can cause.
Tony Abraham and Cameron Arnell, who have accessed Headway Jersey’s rehabilitation services to help with their recovery, will be completing the challenge in St Helier during the charity’s Action for Brain Injury Week.
Mr Abraham, who became a member of Headway six months into his recovery, suffered a brain injury following a virus in December 2011.
Mr Abraham said he used exercise and keeping fit as a way to become more ‘motivated’.
He will be rowing on a static rowing machine on 24 May as part of his second fitness challenge in aid of the charity.
‘I can see why brain injury is classed as an invisible disability, you look fine on the outside but it greatly affects your confidence and self esteem,’ he said.
Mr Arnell, who developed a rare brain infection in 2009 which left him in a coma, aims to cycle the equivalent of twice around the Island between 18 and 22 May.
The side effects of his brain injury mean that he is unable to work as he suffers from ‘severe headaches’ and problems with his short-term memory.
