Pauline

Pauline and her family have raised thousands of pounds for Headway following the loss of their much-loved partner and dad.

Martyn Lewis, 34, tragically died in 2021 after falling from a roof while at work. 

Pauline said: “I was seven months pregnant at the time. He lay in a coma in Royal Hospital for 13 months. He then was moved to Musgrave, where he lay in a vegetative state for two years before he passed away. 

He never got to meet his new wee son, and we also have a daughter who was only six at the time of the accident.”

Despite the tragic events, Pauline and her family decided to do something positive in Martyn’s memory by completing the 2023 Belfast Marathon in April. 

Pauline said:

It was the most overwhelming thing I’ve ever done. I cried crossing the finish line. I could feel him with me the whole time, and he kept me going.

“Even when it got tough, we pushed through, thinking of how much he’d come through, and that’s why we were doing it.”

The family raised £3000 for Headway, which supported the family following Martyn’s injury.

“We wanted to give something back to other people with brain injuries or their families, as we know first-hand how hard it was on us as a family,” said Pauline.

“We also gave a donation to the Air Ambulance, which was on the scene of Martyn’s accident.”

Headway Northern Ireland Network Support Manager Melanie Bowden said: “Our weekly Headway groups are currently funded by the Strategic Planning and Performance Group, to run varied weekly programmes of activity across Northern Ireland, to provide peer support and reduce social isolation through shared activity.  

However, at any point, adults in Northern Ireland who find themselves with a diagnosis of an acquired brain injury, use Headway’s UK-wide Helpline for guidance and support.

Headway’s emergency funding when in hospital can be timely for many and receiving a brain injury ID card is also important, as this supports everyone’s journey of recovery or acceptance.

Making use of the researched and revised advice and information on our Headway website in the form of booklets and videos benefits us here in Northern Ireland too. All these additional services are solely supported by charitable donations like Pauline’s and her family’s.”