Headway for brain-injured man (From This is The West Country)

Headway for brain-injured man

10:35am Thursday 2nd April 2009 in News By Laura Nesbitt

AN East Huntspill man battled through a debilitating brain injury thanks to a Somerset charity - now he hopes to offer comfort to those with similar experiences.

Andrew Wall's life was changed forever during a diving holiday in Turkey in 1998, when a chimneyless heater leaked carbon monoxide into his boat, causing him irreparable brain damage.

Andrew said: “The fourteen days living aboard the boat was all it took. My brain was starved of oxygen.”

Andrew soon began to fall asleep uncontrollably and lost his ability to concentrate.

Help came in 2000 when he was introduced to Edwina Taylor at Headway Somerset.

He said: “At first I had no hope, no hope at all, but as the years rolled by Edwina's resolute and compassionate nature nursed the hidden wounds of my broken mind, brought back my self esteem and gave me the belief that I could beat the problems my injury had inflicted. The work they did was a revelation and it probably saved my life.”

Andrew now provides log cabin holidays for disabled people on his Somerset farm, providing an opportunity for disabled people and their families to take breaks, or undertake personal development in the beautiful Somerset countryside.

He added: “I am now in a position to give something back, which, in a way, is how I can thank everyone for giving me a real chance to make something of my life.”