'We went to Headway for help - and found Love!'

Over the past 31 years, Headway Groups and Branches have helped thousands of people rebuild their lives following brain injury. Most move on after a period of time having regained life skills or confidence, ready to take the next step in their lives. However, one lucky couple got more than they bargained for when they both began to attend Headway Cardiff...

Geraint's story

Back in 2004 I was an active 19-year-old doing the usual things a 19-year-old does, such as playing guitar and socialising. In the May of that year my life changed significantly when I was assaulted while walking home with a friend one night.

The assault was so severe I was rushed into intensive care where I was put onto a life support machine for a week. I have since been told that I was so unrecognisable my parents could only identify me by my tattoos. My throat was so swollen that I could not breathe unassisted. My parents were later told that I had sustained a severe brain injury.

When I was eventually moved from intensive care, they never left my side. They stayed with me from 8am until midnight every night where they washed, toileted and cleaned me, with nursing staff tending to me throughout the night. After about three weeks, I was finally able to eat, but I had to be fed by my parents.

During the following six weeks in hospital, I had to re-learn everything - including how to walk and talk. I had to re-learn more basic life skills when I got home, including reading, writing, and dressing myself. I even had to relearn how to play the guitar, which made me sad as I had previously been a very good guitarist.

I was also very aggressive; swearing and being unreasonable. I could not remember or recognise relatives or friends. If I wasn't sleeping or shouting I would regularly plan to escape, even though I had no idea why. I could not be left on my own.

My parents brought in a television and video recorder so that I could watch things to help me remember, but I always ended up rewinding the tape as I would forget what I had been watching.

Slowly but surely my cognitive skills and short-term memory began to improve with the help of the brain injury rehabilitation team at specialist rehabilitation unit Rookwood Hospital. I also learned to control my aggressive behaviour.

Little did I know, but my life was to turn around when I began to attend Head Start - a group for 17 to 30-year-olds at Headway Cardiff.

It was there that I met Louise, who was also recovering from a severe brain injury. From the moment I first saw her I knew she was the girl I was going to marry. In June 2011 we did just that at our wonderful wedding in the Castle in St. Fagan's.

Louise was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen and I knew my heart was lost forever.

Louise's story

I was 23 and on a night out with my sisters when I sustained my brain injury. I had argued with my sisters in a nightclub and as I left I stepped into the street and was hit by an oncoming car.

I was rushed to the accident and emergency department at The Heath Hospital where I underwent emergency surgery on my kidneys, lung and brain.

I spent three months in hospital and two months in Rookwood Hospital where I had to re-learn to walk, talk, write, wash and dress myself. I also had to learn to communicate again and deal with the short-sightedness caused by my injuries.

My road to recovery was significantly boosted by joining Head Start in September 2008, where I met Geraint. We clicked straight away but although I knew all along that he fancied me it took us a couple of months to start dating.

Geraint proposed to me in Venice the following year and we confirmed our love for one another this summer in front of our family and friends. It poured down all day, but isn't rain on your wedding day supposed to be good luck?

We still have a lot of ongoing issues following our injuries but we get plenty of support from our families, support workers and of course from one another.

When we first moved in together our families were not sure if we would cope but we have impressed everyone with our ability to support each other. One of us usually knows the answer to a predicament!

We would just like those affected by brain injury to know that there really can be a happy ending and not to give up hope.