Provide Life-Changing Support for people with Neurological Conditions, and be in with a chance for a Meal-for-Two with wine at Pizarro in Bermondsey, plus a personally signed Cookbook by José Pizarro!
The Brain & Spine Foundation provide invaluable support for the one in six people in the UK who live with neurological conditions.
This prize draw is in full support of them.
WIN A MEAL FOR TWO --- WITH WINE --- @ PIZARRO, BERMONDSEY!
AND ALSO GET A PERSONALLY SIGNED COOKBOOK FROM JOSÉ PIZARRO HIMSELF!
Pizarro Bermondsey is José Pizarro's second London restaurant. Found one block away from José's original tapas bar on Bermondsey Street, this is close to London Bridge station.
The restaurant serves a menu of small tapas style and more substantial dishes that can be served as starters and mains or as tapas for sharing. The food is influenced by José's passion for the best quality seasonal Spanish produce cooked in an open kitchen.
This will be an enjoyable evening and the winner will also receive a personally signed Cookbook by Jose Pizzaro!
The Cause - The Brain & Spine Foundation
This draw is in support of the Brain & Spine Foundation, who provide invaluable support for every one of the 600+ neurological conditions affecting the one in six people in the UK who live with them. You can read more about the BSF below.
This fantastic prize has been kindly donated by Pizarro to 2112 Communications, a Bermondsey-based financial services creative communications agency .
2112 Communications have graciously offered to help support the Brain & Spine Foundation's Christmas Appeal this year, due to the support facilitated by the charity to their employee Louise Packer, whose story you can read below:
Louise's Story
"I am a busy mum of three teenagers and live with my husband, our three children and our lovely dog Figgy. I have always been a confident and adventurous person, embracing any given opportunity. Like most people, I was juggling work and home life.
In May 2018 I had a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH). I was visiting my husband in hospital, as he was very poorly with sepsis and in intensive care. He had been in there since the 20th of May. On the 23rd of May, I woke up in a different London hospital, as unbeknown to me, I had experienced a seizure and had a subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) due to a dissected vertebral artery and ruptured aneurysm. I had emergency surgery, had an external ventricular drain (EVD) inserted and underwent interventional neuroradiology surgery, where I now have three stents in my artery. My husband survived the sepsis and then started to visit me.
I was discharged from hospital after spending three weeks in intensive care, high dependency and then a ward. I was finally reunited with my three children whom I had not seen or spoken to for that duration; and as you can imagine, this was very emotional.
A month later, I was called for a follow-up scan which revealed that the aneurysm had not been closed off completely and was filling again. I then went in for more surgery.
Whilst the NHS were amazing and saved my life, for which I will be eternally grateful, I was an emotional mess. I was 44 at the time and my children were 8, 10 and 12. I found it extremely hard to deal with the impact of what had happened and felt that nobody could really relate to or understand the psychological and emotional footprint that the whole experience had on me. I was extremely fortunate that I was left with no lasting deficits and that I also had the unwavering support of my amazing parents, husband, children and a whole community of friends, however at this point I felt very scared and vulnerable.
I was also struggling to feel like the Mummy that I was “before”; as I felt as though I had failed my children and let them down, although through no fault of my own. Being a parent does that to you.
This is where the Brain & Spine Foundation came in. The Facebook support group was my lifeline. It was like a breath of fresh air to know that I wasn’t alone in how I felt, they were normal feelings and reactions given the circumstances and it was like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders once I could express how I felt without judgment and with total genuine understanding. No two stories are the same, but there were some very similar ones. There were people that were a step ahead of me in their recovery and gave such sound advice. I even made a lovely friend that doesn’t live too far from me. We meet up for a dog walk every so often. I am not so reliant on the support group as much as I was in the first two years, but I do find myself dipping in and out, especially if I have a scan due and I am experiencing a wave of anxiety. I am not sure how much longer my recovery would have taken without the advice, knowledge, and comfort of all the lovely people in the group. Through their support, I learnt how to be more resilient, determined and to accept that this is just a part of my life story."
THE BRAIN & SPINE FOUNDATION
The Brain & Spine Foundation provides professional information and support for every one of the 600+ neurological conditions affecting one in six people living in the UK.
Our vision
A world where people affected by a neurological condition(s) are recognised, respected, supported and can flourish.
Our mission
We transform the daily reality of each person affected by any neurological condition, anywhere in the UK: through frontline professional services, innovative social research, and bold campaigning for change.
Our purpose
Build a powerful community of people affected by a neurological condition and support them to take action and be an authoritative voice for change.
Our work is made up of 3 distinct areas:
Professional Neuro Services
Free, expert help and support for any condition, and for anyone affected through our Helpline, peer support groups and health information. Neurological conditions and associated treatments are often complex and poorly understood by those affected and their families. Many people wait for a long time for diagnosis while living with ongoing symptoms and the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds. We exist to provide information, answer questions, reduce anxiety and inform choices for individuals, families and healthcare professionals.
Research
We conduct social research in collaboration with The Neurological Alliance to influence change based on first-person insight into the reality of living with a neuro condition and trying to access treatment, care and support. We deliver results in real time. Find out more about our research project, NeuroLifeNow.
Campaigning
We build community and self-help structures through our campaign, Neuro Changemakers. It is designed to give a voice to the people in the neurological community and enable them to drive change and dramatically improve quality of life. The Brain & Spine Foundation is entirely funded by voluntary donations from our supporters; we receive no Government funding.