My Story

16 years ago my life was very different.

At the end of 2007 just at the turn of my 27th birthday I collapsed one morning,  I fell to the ground and lost my vision and movement.  It was very scary. 

I was rushed to hospital pulse rate had fallen to low 20s and I was only half there.  They  suspected a stroke but the CT scan didn't reveal much. I was released after a few days but a week later I collapsed again this time at work in my law office in London. 

 This time I was left speechless (literally I was unable to speak ) and I was paralysed on the whole left side of my body. This was the moment which changed my life . 

The year to come was spent in various London hospitals being examined analysed and receiving tests by top neurologists.

I was diagnosed with encephalitis but given the incomplete early examination (the fact that the lumbar puncture was not done immediately) the exact strain and medicine to treat me were unknown, hence my treatment was largely trral and error.

Life wasn't great, I spent much of my time in darkened rooms since my brain had shut down my ability to speak and move and the lights exacerbated the extreme dagger pain in the back of my head.  The neurologists explained that my body was fighting the Encephalitis and I needed lots of rest. It was hard to just lie there, frustrating and frightening but I was exhausted.  I remember willing my hand to move but it just wouldn't, or trying to speak but the words wouldn't came out.  My dad and I invented a language with blinking. It was basic but it was communication. 

Eventually I started to regain strength and got out of hospital but one of the consequences of the encephalitis was Cluster migraines.  These were debilitating and often had similar consequences as the encephalitis with loss of movement and loss of, or slowed speech. 

However, as the months progressed I started to learn what triggered the episodes, certain foods, environments, lights, cinema, stress.

One day I was walking in the park to get some fresh air as I felt that I maybe getting an episode (which often led to 3 days lying in a dark room!). I didn't want it I couldn't face more time isolated in the dark, I wanted to run away from it, so I did! I ran!

My walk pace picked up to a jog and before I knew it I was running around the park. I ran for 30 minutes (around 4km but it was running for me at the time). Unbelievably my head started to lighten. I went back home and waited for the migraine but it didn't come!! 

I tried it again  a few weeks later when I felt the heavy load in my head and my speech slowing and the aura arriving as I used to get before my migraine hit.  I quicky put on my trainers and I ran.  It worked ! Eureka !   Running = less drugs and less neurological episodes.

I'm sure many people who knew me then wouldn't have believed at the time back in my darkest of days that I would be able to run marathons (including myself!) But here I am and I'm in a much happier healthier place.

I fought the encephalitis and I learnt to help myself with the consequences by restructuring my life and running!

Whilst research has advanced over the past 16 years encephalitis migraines and many other debilitating sad neurological diseases still need so much more research to be done to help people recover and regain a quality of life.

The neurologists told me I was lucky to survive and I know I was. I was even luckier to be able to use it to make my journey towards being a marathon runner. 

As I get set to run the London marathon I feel so grateful to have this chance, grateful that I was able to close that chapter of my life and that today I can move , I can run! I rarely talk about it these days but today I decided that it was important to share my story to hopefully be able to help others.

I guess everyone should remember wherever you are in life and whatever you are facing there is always an after and you can make it positive just don't give up, keep on running!

Please support this great charity and follow me on 21st April in London! 🙏❤