Brave Cambridgeshire Man Wins National Award, UK

Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 21 Dec 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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A self-confessed boy-racer whose live was turned upside down when he sustained a brain injury as a result of a car accident has been named Campaigner of the Year in the annual awards run by Headway - the brain injury association.

Nick Bennett, from Papworth Everard, was just 17-years-old when he was involved in a devastating car accident that nearly took his life. Early one morning while on his way to work, Nick overtook two cars and collided with a three-tonne lorry. He spent the next ten months fighting for his life in intensive care. He won the fight but the accident left him in a wheelchair with severely affected mobility and speech as a result of his brain injury.

With tremendous strength and the help of organisations such as Headway Cambridgeshire, part of the national charity that helps people rebuild their lives after brain injury, Nick has gone on to make a tremendous recovery.

Now aged 24, Nick dedicates his time to warning young people about the dangers of reckless driving. He courageously visits local schools to warn other young people of his own life experiences and the tragic consequences of accidents like his, in the hope that they might sit up and take notice.

"Nick has shown tremendous courage and generosity by speaking in front of so many young people about his life," said Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway UK. "It must be very tough to talk in front of your peers about a devastating mistake you made that has changed your life and yet Nick does this willingly in order to help young people avoid making the same error.

"He is an inspirational young man and fully deserves this honour."

The Headway Annual Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of people with brain injuries and those working to support them. Other winners on the day were Diane Goulden from Lincoln (Carer of the Year), Kirsty Offord from Nottingham (Achiever of the Year) and Teesside's Sue Moore (Volunteer of the Year).

A special award was also presented to television production company Tiger Aspect for its powerful programme Recovery, starring David Tennant as a man trying to rebuild his life after suffering a brain injury.

http://www.headway.org.uk