Your Stories
Your Stories
Here, our members and volunteers share their stories and experiences of encephalitis.
If you are in any way affected by these stories please do get in touch with our support team.
Many of the stories and videos below were filmed as part of the My Brain and Me project which is proudly supported by the National Lottery Community Fund. The videos can also be viewed on our YouTube channel.
Share your story
If you would like to share your own story, please visit our Submit Your Story page.
These stories are incredibly valuable for others to read. They can help people, directly or indirectly affected, to understand more about encephalitis and deal feelings such as loneliness and isolation.
We usually ask for written stories with sub-headings relating to things such as diagnosis, treatment and ongoing recovery.
We ask that you do not name individuals or medical centers without their consent. Please use generic terms such as friend, parent or doctor.
If you have any questions please do get in touch.
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) Lived Experience - Regináe's Story
My name is Regináe and I was 4 when I was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM). My dad noticed that I was acting strange and acting like I was possessed, then all of a sudden I started shaking constantly and couldn’t stop. My parents then admitted me to hospital and they didn't know what was wrong with me.
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Acute Necrotising Rhombencephalitis Lived Experience - Eldon's Story
In April 2023, life as I knew it changed in an instant. It began with an ache in my lower back—something I brushed off as a minor strain. I even visited an osteopath, convinced I had just overdone it somehow. But the discomfort didn’t ease. Within days, I tested positive for COVID-19, and soon after, the real nightmare began.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Alice's Story
I was a healthy 27 year old woman who loved paddled boarding and aerial circus prior to being diagnosed with Anti-NMDAR Autoimmune Encephalitis. I was on a weekend away with my mother and partner in England and complained of sore ears. Later that night I took my first seizure and an ambulance was called! My symptoms began suddenly, manifesting with seizures, manic psychotic episodes, hallucinations, agitation and oral facial dyskinesia.
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Tick-Borne Encephalitis Lived Experience - Antti's Story
I got tick-borne encephalitis in autumn 2023, here some memories and insights of the complex journey with the disease. The whole thing started in a Teams meeting with a customer. I suddenly felt quite nauseous and had to close the meeting early, started to vomit and horrible headache begun. Luckily, I was at home and my wife came soon to check my situation. Later, I heard that she took me to an emergency unit at the University center hospital next day when my fever raised up to 41 ˚C – I don’t have any clear memories of that.
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Anti-GAD Encephalitis Lived Experience - Alison's Story
Alison shares her experience of Anti-GAD encephalitis and how she went on to raise funds through her gym, Life’s Peachy’ Fitness for Encephalitis International. I started falling sick in April 2024 after my husband came home from a work trip with stomach bug. He was better within 24-48 hours while I got progressively more unwell. I […]
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Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Diane's Story
Diane had auto-immune encephalitis in 2018, when she was 15 which encompassed months in a semi-coma state where she couldn’t talk, walk, eat or see due to complete vision loss from high intracranial pressure.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Vickie's Story
I don’t remember anything. My first memory is of me being told that I couldn’t go back to work, I was very ill, and those of you who have had it remember what that feels like. I was apparently in an induced coma, had a lumber puncture, seizures, nearly died… and I was lucky to be speaking and as recovered as I could be.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Roz's Story
Roz, who was affected twice by anti NMDAR encephalitis while completing her secondary education, shares her story with us. The video was filmed as part of our My Brain and Me Project.
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Meningoencephalitis Lived Experience - Kristen's Story
In May of 2023 I started with a very high fever. I passed it off as normal; as I got sick very often, just had pneumonia a month prior. I work with young children which I believe weakened my immune system over the years. I’d only travelled out of the country 8 months ago but was otherwise fine. After day 2, the fever wasn't subsiding and came out in a red rash in my extremities, prompting me to go to a doctor.
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Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis - Ismael's story, told by wife, Rosa
For me, as his wife, has been a challenge to adapt the new family dynamics with the illness. My advice to all of us who have a family member with encephalitis is that as primary caregivers we take care of our physical and emotional health. In my case, I had to attend psychotherapy and take medication for depression and anxiety.
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West Nile Virus Lived Experience - Jim's Story
I went on holiday to Goa in India in March 2024 . I remember getting a couple of mosquito bites but they don't usually affect me, so thought no more of it. Upon return to the UK, after a couple of days I started to feel unwell, after another couple of days it got much worse and I researched the symptoms and thought it may have been Malaria. 6 days after returning from holiday I called 111 and as a result was taken into hospital in Southampton.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Matt's Story
Matt, an architect from South Africa, was diagnosed with Anti-NMDAR encephalitis in 2019 while living in Germany. His story was filmed as part of the My Brain and Medicine event on 25th April 2022.
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Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) Encephalitis Lived Experience - Lizzie's Story
Before my brain decided to hit the eject button on my memories, I had a life that made sense. I ran an animal rescue that I had started years before. It was busy and, at times, chaotic. I had my routines - work and home ones. I knew what I was doing (most of the time). I could tell you where I left my keys. I could tell you who the actor on the screen was and his entire filmography. My memory was actually my superpower.
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Viral Encephalitis Lived Experience - Rochelle's Story
Dr Rochelle Smith had to learn to read and speak again after falling ill with viral encephalitis in 2016. She would go on to graduate with a degree in medicine and a top award from the University of the West Indies
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Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Marleigh's Story
Marleigh was just three years old when she started showing symptoms of Seronegative Autoimmune Encephalitis. However it would take nearly a year, a brain injury and many life threatening status epilepticus seizures before this diagnosis was confirmed.
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Chikungunya Lived Experience - Parthasarathy's story told by his father, Venkatesh
Parthasarathy's story of chikungunya encephalitis told by his father, Venkatesh. Interviewed by Dr.Uddhav Kinhal from Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, Bangalore, India (video below). This was filmed to form part of Encephalitis International's 'Climate change, infectious diseases and encephalitis' Campaign 2025.
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West Nile Virus Encephalitis Lived Experience - Sue Ann
Sue Ann who was diagnosed with West Nile Virus encephalitis in 2023. In this special encephalitis podcast episode, she shares her lived experience story with our Chief Medical Writer, Prav.
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Japanese Encephalitis Lived Experience - Kelly's Story
Kelly, from Canada, shares her story of Japanese encephalitis which acquired while travelling. Her story formed part of the Encephalitis International Vaccine-preventable encephalitis awareness campaign in 2024.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Megan's Story
It started with neurological symptoms such as difficulty processing information (forgetting song lyrics and inability to write emails) as well as visual symptoms (losing colours and pixelated vision) and paranoia. I also could not feel emotions or pain. After admission to the hospital, these symptoms worsened (inability to understand or process anything, couldn’t eat or use bathroom). Things then progressed to constant seizures.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Tina's Story
Did you ever think it was possible that you could fall pregnant and then lose your mind? Lose your mind to the extent that even to this day I still don’t remember ever being pregnant, I don’t remember my pregnancy, my growing bump, my feelings or even going through the life changing experience of giving birth.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Camila's Story (English and Spanish)
When I first learned about anti-NMDAR encephalitis, it felt like I was destined to become a diagnosis, as if my life had already been defined by a disease. But it wasn't until I began fighting it back it that my life truly began a whole new journey.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Tom's Story
May of 2022 I once again got COVID-19 but this time was mild, or so I thought. Slowly my fatigue got much worse and my speech started to be hard. Processing was becoming harder and I was having headaches and crazy nightmares that I would wake up sweating, confused and scared. I was attending speech therapy and was a regular at my primary and neurologist. Everyone close to me could see me getting worse.
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Autoimmune Encephalitis Lived Experience - Bianca's Story
Out of fear, I wrote a letter to my daughter, who was almost 6 years old at the time. I wrote down everything she needs to know in order to be able to grow up self-loving and self-confident, in case I can't always be with her. My letter became a children's book. I have completely turned my life upside down. My everyday life is no longer the same (I often rest, divide the week differently and strengthen children in daycare centers and elementary schools.
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Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Lived Experience - Tahla's Story
Tahla had autoimmune, Anti-NMDAR antibody encephalitis when she was 15. She spent 6 months in hospital, losing her ability to walk, talk, eat, drink, as well as experiencing psychosis and aggression.
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