Family campaign after losing dad to rare condition
PASSIONATE sports fan David Williams was, as usual, the life and soul of a family party as he cracked jokes and enjoyed a few drinks.
Hours later the loving dad was “talking gibberish” and had to be rushed to hospital as a rare, lifethreatening condition took hold.
The 62-year-old’s family had expected he would spend the day after the party, in April 2018, with them at his home in Beaufort, Blaenau Gwent, but instead he was confined to bed and left almost unable to speak.
The retired painter and decorator’s family initially thought he had nothing more than a hangover when he woke up but it quickly became apparent something much more serious was wrong.
Daughter Jade Williams said: “He’d been out and had a lovely night at the party with no signs of being unwell, so at first we thought he might have just been hungover, but we were wrong.
“He’d been fine right up until that day and showed no symptoms at all but then he got ill fast.
“He was really confused and talking gibberish and when his condition worsened to the point where he could barely talk we knew we had to get him to the hospital.
“The speed in which these symptoms came on him were shocking and we could never have prepared for what came next.”
Lifelong Manchester United fan David, who loved football and rugby, was taken to Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny where he spent the next three weeks undergoing treatment.
He was monitored and put through a series of tests before eventually being diagnosed with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment.
Its causes are not always clear but it can be caused by viral infections spreading to the brain or through the immune system attacking the brain in error.
Symptoms of encephalitis, thought to affect around 6,000 people in the UK each year, can begin as flu-like but more serious symptoms which can come on over hours, days, or weeks include disorientation, seizures, difficulty speaking, and loss of movement or consciousness. While people can make a full recovery many are left with damage to their brain.
David died in January 2019 following a string of health issues that included brain damage and epilepsy. His daughter Jade, who works as a biomedical support worker for the NHS, said while encephalitis may not be widely known about it is a condition that can seriously impact people’s lives.
She said: “This was a huge loss for us and something that’s left a massive hole in our lives. My father was the head honcho of this family and had been married to my mother for over 40 years.
“As a husband, a father, and grandfather you couldn’t ask for better and he was an excellent friend as well. He was a very popular man in Ebbw Vale, known for his wicked sense of humour.
“That all changed after the diagnosis, though, and while a lot of people won’t have heard of encephalitis it really is terrible.
“Sometimes I would lie on the bed to talk with my father but he couldn’t even remember basic things like the names of family members or certain animals, almost as if he was suffering with dementia.
“It was horrible to see as my father had always been very switched on before that.”
In order to raise awareness of the condition Jade and her family are now hosting charity fundraising events for the Encephalitis
Society including coffee mornings and a charity disco. They hope that by sharing David’s story they can reach as many people as possible about its effects.
“We want to bring attention to encephalitis as it can have such a devastating effect on families,” said Jade. “It doesn’t matter who you are either as it doesn’t discriminate.
“The speed in which it can take effect is the scariest thing. To think you can go from being fine one day to being unable to speak or even remember the names of your family members the next is just terrifying.
“When my father was suffering the Encephalitis Society were really there to support us so we hope we can return the favour now. When someone else has it in the future we want them to have similar support with more research having been done.”
Julia Clark, director of engagement at the Encephalitis Society, said: “It really means a lot to us that and Jade and family wanted to support us in their charity night.
“I am sure their dad would be very proud of how they are honouring his memory by raising awareness of encephalitis and we hope that they, together with his wider family and friends, have a wonderful evening.”