#35 Living With Locked In Syndrome, a Daughter’s Story - Georgie Tyler-Collings

What is locked-in syndrome? How does it affect someone?

Locked-in syndrome might be a condition you have heard of - but may not know much about.

This episode will help you understand more about locked-in syndrome and what it is like to live with or support a family member with the condition.

To shed a light on the topic, Georgie Tyler-Collings joins Elizabeth and Julia to tell them about her inspiring dad, David Collings.

He was left with locked-in syndrome after suffering an ischemic brain stem stroke aged 59 while on holiday in France.

Although paralysed, David is fully cognitive and communicates using his eyes.

Alongside her wider family, Georgie talks about what happened, how they got him home to Sheffield from France and the impact it has had on her and other family members.

She says: "It's tough, but if my family can do it, then you can too".

Before his stroke, David would take part in various cycling and swimming challenges - and his motivation for a challenge has not waned.

In 2018, he used a special motorised bike to cycle two hours a day for 80 days from his care home and, using the same method, he is currently clocking up the miles to get to New Zealand.

This is a story of a family coming together in crisis for a special man, the ups and downs, the impact and loss. But it is also a story of plenty of laughs and support to help David live a happy life with locked-in syndrome.

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You can read a bit more about the family's fight to get David home from France when it covered by BBC news.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38557886

And more about his first cycling challenge post stroke in 2018.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-44288944

On A Good Day

Thank you for listening to On A Good Day! Please go back and catch up on any missed episodes. For a full recap of Elizabeth and Julia's stories, listen to episode #1: How Brain Injury Came Into Our Lives - And Changed Them Forever.

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