A South Shields couple will see their hometown hospital lit up in red after NHS bosses answered their call for help to spread the word about a devastating brain condition.
Peter Laycock wrote to South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s bosses after his wife Evie became ill with encephalitis in April 2021.
The condition, which causes inflammation of the brain, effects 500,000 people across the world each year.
This Wednesday, February 22, will be the 10th World Encephalitis Day.
To mark the milestone, the Encephalitis Society is aiming to ‘shine a light on encephalitis’ by turning famous landmarks and buildings around the world red.
The Trust’s South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital will join more than 220 landmarks across 27 countries as they glow in the colour at night.
Others locations include Piccadilly Lights in London and Niagara Falls.
Evie, 60, had spent the day helping daughter Kerry Taylor, 29, after the arrival of a new baby when she became ill.
She was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital’s Emergency Department by Peter, 62.
Evie spent 16 days in its care and the same amount of time undergoing treatment at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.
During that time, she was given treatment to bring down the swelling, but it has left her with the after effects of a brain injury.
With the support of her family and NHS, she has followed a recovery programme, including speech and language therapy.
The condition, caused by the herpes simplex virus in her case, had left the former Harton Academy and Harton Primary School worker unable to recognise those she knew and she still has issues with her memory.
Since their experience, the grandparents-of-five and their family have worked to raise awareness, as well as cash, for the Encephalitis Society.
Kerry and husband Nathan, 34, have joined in fundraisers and events, while they are also supported by sons Eddie, 38, Christopher, 37, and Andrew, 35.
Peter, a semi-retired electrician, said: “I came home from work that day and she didn’t feel very well and she kept repeating herself, which didn’t seem right, so I took her to A&E.
“Encephalitis can be absolutely devastating, really we had no idea about it before it happened to us.
“It’s brilliant the buildings will be lit up and I want people to understand the reason behind it.
“We want to tell people about what this means and push those conversations so people know more.”
Richard Telford is the Trust’s Clinical Director of Neurology. He said: “We’re grateful to Peter, Evie and their family for raising awareness of this condition following their own experiences.
“We’re happy to play a part in that by turning our buildings red.
“Anyone at any age can get encephalitis, no two people affected with have the same outcome and the effects can be long-term.
“We also know the brain can take much longer to recover from an injury that other parts of the body.
“We know it is important that investigations are carried out as soon as possible as prompt diagnosis for a patient can save their lives and improves their chances to recover.”
Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive of the Encephalitis Society, said: “Most people have not heard of encephalitis unless it has happened to them or a loved one and we are determined to change that.
“That is why we are so grateful to everyone at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust for helping us to raise awareness of this devastating brain condition on World Encephalitis Day.
“Encephalitis is a thief – robbing families of their loved ones or, if they survive, the person they once knew.
“It steals memories, personalities, and abilities we take for granted: concentration, attention, thinking, judgement, inhibition.
“For many of our members there are additional challenges such as epilepsy and levels of fatigue so great that returning to a normal working life can be difficult.”
The Encephalitis Society and its global network of supporters will also be wearing red and sharing their photographs on social media throughout Wednesday.
For more information about World Encephalitis Day, visit www.worldencephalitisday.org or search for the #Red4WED and #WorldEncephalitisDay hashtags on social media channels.