Brainhelp

Walter's Story

"I've just completed our weekly sales meeting. Last week's figures were excellent and it's the start of a new week. I'm feeling good about things; life is going well for me. Then all of a sudden a strange feeling comes over me. It's almost as if I'm experiencing a dream while awake... Very confusing...

Then, pain explodes inside my head. It's the sort of pain you might expect to feel when a dentist hits a nerve... except you can't pull your head away, and it goes on and on."

Walter Baxter, founder of the Brainhelp charity, goes on to describe his experience of a frightening medical emergency, one which not only changed the course of his life, but gave him an insight into the needs of brain trauma sufferers, and the way in which those needs are not being met by society.

At the local Hairmyres hospital, about fifteen miles from Glasgow, the doctor on duty is convinced that he is suffering no more than a severe migraine, and that it will pass of its own accord. Walter finds it incredible that a trained doctor should dismiss his condition so lightly, and insists on further tests. The pain he is experiencing is like no migraine, in fact it is the most intense pain he has experienced or could even imagine experiencing. Somewhat reluctantly the doctor sends Walter for a CAT scan, which reveals a brain haemorrhage, or stroke.

Now convinced of a life-threatening emergency, doctors quickly arrange his transfer to Glasgow Southern, one of the best-equipped hospitals in the world to deal with brain trauma. Before any operation can be considered though, an angiogram is essential, as this procedure will determine exactly which artery in Walter's head has ruptured, and direct them to the proper site for an operation. However, Walter is not out of the woods yet, for he suffers a post-operative problem requiring intensive care.

All this was in 1998. Since that time Walter has made a full recovery, and now helps other stroke victims.

Lack of Aftercare

One thing he became acutely aware of was that while surgical facilities exist to cope with the immediate threat to life, there is very little help or aftercare available for stroke victims. Yet brain traumas are among the most debilitating of all illnesses, often leaving the victim unable to cope with the routines of everyday life for months or years afterwards. For this reason he's set up Brainhelp, a charity aimed at providing drop-in neurocare centres for stroke victims. The centres will provide rehabilitation and support by medical staff. The idea behind this is based on the very successful Maggie's Centres which already exist for cancer sufferers.

Centralisation Threat

If that were not enough, plans to centralise elements of the Scottish health system now threaten the closure of the smaller neurosurgery wards. If these changes come about, Glasgow may be the only centre in Scotland for neurosurgery. Thinking about Walter's case and the logistics of transporting patients – patients in an extremely fragile state of health – hundreds of miles for emergency operations, their chances of survival will not be good. With around 500 such cases per year, all major cities need the facilities to perform first-line care for stroke victims. The only way in which a single, centralised neurosurgery theatre could meet the needs of everyone would be with rapid transit air transport, perhaps by helicopter, and that is unlikely to be available.

Major Concern

It is not often realised that circulatory disorders (which include heart attacks and strokes) count for a greater number of deaths than cancer. In fact, they constitute one of the most common of all types of medical emergency, and cause more than a quarter of all deaths every year. Anything which would raise public awareness of preventive measures would save vast amounts of public money. Furthermore, while surgical facilities exist, very little post-operative help is available, despite the fact that strokes are likely to recur if proper preventive measures are not taken.

The Charity

Walter was able to start his Brainhelp charity thanks to a donation from the National Lottery. This has enabled him to set up an information centre in Torry, Aberdeen, where interested people can get involved in the project, or just drop by to learn more about it. At the same time, the centre serves as a computer learning resource for the local community, with Walter giving expert advice on computing and web design.

Fundraising

To raise the funds needed for the drop-in centre project, Walter has expanded on another recent Internet innovation, the e-garage. The idea here is that you submit your used car to be sold on eBay, the profits of the sale going to Brainhelp. The scope of this isn't limited to cars however; any marketable household items can be accepted for resale. While most of us know how to bid on eBay, and have probably bought a few items, most of us don't know much about the selling side of things, and this is where Walter's expertise comes in as he already has the infrastructure set up to sell the items.

To find out more about the Brainhelp project visit: www.brainhelp.co.uk