Northampton mum to raise awareness of brain condition with shoppers at town store

Helen Fowler, of Abington, has been left wheelchair-bound after she was affected by encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, in 2007.

A lack of information about the little-known condition hampered her recovery which is why she will man a stall at Morrisons, Kettering Road, Northampton, to chat to customers and raise money for The Encephalitis Society ahead of World Encephalitis Day on February 22.

“A lot of people are unaware of what encephalitis is, which is why I wanted to do something,” said Helen, who has a son. “I really struggled for information when I was affected as, at the time, not many people at the hospital knew what it was.”

Helen was eventually put in contact with The Encephalitis Society which provided her with support, helping her to understand what life would be like living with an acquired brain injury.

She also connected with others who had similarly been affected and now wants to do her bit for that support network when she visits Morrisons.

“Everyone at the shop has been really good to me,” said Helen. “I forget things, or sometimes leave my bag there, but they know who I am and help me out a lot. I can’t thank them enough.”

Helen will be at Morrisons on Saturday January 16 from 10am.