ANTS IN MY BRAIN is a true story of a daughter's recovery from a serious acquired brain injury after being knocked down by a car whilst out running in London one morning in 2014. It's written from a mothers perspective.
Rosie's journey starts at the side of the Durnsford Road, South London where she was knocked down, then to St Georges Hospital in Tooting. It continues onto The Wolfson neuro rehabilitation unit at Queen Marys Hospital, Putney and progresses to Charmouth in Dorset before Rosie eventually returns to London.
Thought-provoking and light-hearted, it aims to have the reader laughing, crying and questioning. It has a real connection with life today and how a family copes with that 'curveball' thrown at them out of the blue. It will take the reader through the different stages of brain injury recovery and is entwined with the reality of day-to-day life. It incorporates heartfelt passages from mother to daughter at different stages and is interspersed at poignant points with lyrics about recovery from a current folk/punk singer-songwriter (permission agreed with Frank Turner and Xtra Mile recordings).
This inspirational book aims to show how a serious injury to a family member can have knock on effects to others close to them and how love and support can make the difference to a person's recovery from a life changing accident. It also proves how our brains have amazing powers to heal themselves and how remaining positive and hopeful can pull us through those dark times in our lives.
It could be helpful to brain injury survivors, their families and friends and many others going through trauma and challenging times of any sort.
It may also be helpful to professionals and students, both medical and therapeutic, as it gives a positive insight into NHS critical care to community care, told through the eyes of someone outside of these professions.
It is largely based in St Georges hospital, Tooting a well-known London hospital due to the TV series '24 hours in A and E' which could make it an appealing read for followers of this programme. It also references West Dorset which is a popular destination for holiday makers with its glorious countryside and seascapes.
