"On 9th September, I'll be celebrating my re-birthday"

Liz Mizen has had to accept that her life will never be the same as it was before she sustained her injury. But rather than dwell on the past, Liz has developed a positive attitude and is fighting back. This is her story.

I loved my life. I worked as an inclusion worker at a primary school in Gosport, helping children with emotional or learning difficulties. It was a job that brought me immense pleasure. I would then return home to my loving family. But life can change very quickly.

My husband Kirk and I were coming to the end of a magical holiday in Italy. We were at Verona Airport when I began to feel cold - despite the soaring heat. I was exhibiting other flu-like symptoms so we were not overly concerned.

I returned to work three days later carrying a limp, which I couldn't explain. I went to see my doctor who sent me off for foot and chest x-rays. Two days later, I woke up in bed screaming at Kirk to 'take this pain out of my head!' That said, I remember nothing of all this and I have to rely on the experiences and memories of Kirk and my daughters, Kelly-Ann and Charley.

I was rushed to the local hospital for some tests before Kirk and the girls were ushered into a room and told that I would need to be taken immediately to the Wessex Neurological Centre in Southampton for specialist treatment. I can only imagine the fear they felt at that moment.

I was diagnosed with a heart condition called endocarditis. A build-up of pressure had caused a plum-sized blockage on the right-hand side of my brain to haemorrhage, causing extensive damage. I underwent brain surgery to remove the blockage before being placed in an induced coma for 11 days, after which I had heart surgery to fix a damaged valve.

For a long time afterwards I was angry and frustrated. I felt like I'd lost 18 months of my life. I had to give up the job I loved, I could no longer drive, and my vision was badly impaired. My memory is so poor I now have to write everything down, while I also have problems with my balance that mean I can't go anywhere on my own.

I also suffer from emotional and psychological issues, such as depression and feelings of helplessness, partly due to a lack of understanding of brain injury among the general public.

Life changed for me when I found Headway Portsmouth and South East Hants. Kirk says that finding the charity was like watching me wake up.

The best thing about Headway is that when I go through the door and say something, nobody is judging me. People there will understand. It really was a massive turning point for me. As a family we have always been close but this has pulled us together.

Our lives were turned around by what happened to me three years ago, but thanks to Headway I am now getting my life back. So, on 9 September, rather that regretting that fateful day, we'll be celebrating my re-birthday as a family - all grateful that we're still together.

The hospitals saved me - but Headway gave me a life.