Joseph's Story

As part of Headway's ABI Week 2023 Every 90 Seconds campaign, Joseph talks about how life suddenly changed after he sustained a brain injury at 17.

"I had a typical teenager's life in the big city, playing football with other people and I liked the nightlife and going out. I had a motorbike and was just going through the motions of growing up.

"Then I had a road accident which left me disabled. From there, my life changed. I was a different person. I was going to visit family in a different town when apparently, I hit a car. I had gone through the windscreen on my motorbike.

"I was unconscious for about three weeks. When I woke up, they were doing a scan on me, and I can still remember them putting this cold stuff on my head to this day. I went to roll up to get out of bed, but I couldn't move my arm and my leg, so I banged and smashed myself on the floor. They had to put cot sides next to the bed. That's when I first realised there was something different and something wrong.

"I probably fell into a rut where I didn't really look after myself very well. All I used to do was go to the pub, have three halves of lager every day and play darts; there was nothing for me to do. There was no centre, nothing like Headway. You were on your own.

"Being with Headway has taught me about myself and others because I used to think it's quite easy - when you've got no one around you who understands you - to sit in the corner. We're all different down there, but we're all a team.