Gift for unit that helped me walk again
A RECOVERING patient has raised a staggering £1,500 for the Central England Brain Injury Charity by completing five-mile walk.
Garry Townsend-Kennedy was a patient at the Central England Rehabilitiation Unit (CERU) based at Leamington Spa Hospital, after being diagnosed with GuillainBarré syndrome in June 2015. It is a disease where the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system.
It has a sudden onset and causes changes in sensation followed by paralysis in limbs.
This rare illness caused Garry to suddenly go from being an active, family man to re-learning basic life skills – one of the most challenging being to walk again. After spending three months at the specialist unit, Garry is now on the road to recovery and wanted to give something back to the unit that helped him get his life back.
So on December 18 last year Garry, along with family, friends and work colleagues, all took part in the Santa Dash around Draycote Water dressed in full Father Christmas get-up.
This was a particularly poignant experience for Garry as he had previously taken part in the festive fundraiser prior to his illness and, up until February last year, Garry was wheelchair-bound.
Garry said: “My recovery would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication and encouragement I had during my time at CERU.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that has supported me and made donations. Fundraising can make a real difference to the lives of patients undergoing rehabilitation and therefore I would urge more people to get involved with the charity. You never know when you or a family member might need their care.”
Sue Bleasdale, general manager at CERU said: “We are extremely grateful to Garry and his family for this generous donation. Completing this challenge was a fantastic achievement for Garry and I am so pleased that he chose to donate to us.”