I’ve just watched last night’s harrowBETWEEN LIFE AND DEATHing BBC documentary Between Life and Death, which tracked the fate of three seriously brain injured people at the Neurosciences Critical Care Unit in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, following terrible road accidents.

No wonder it is a world famous hospital. I thought Neuro Intensive Care expert Prof David Menon was astounding in the way he began a dialogue with Richard Rudd by encouraging the paralysed man to use blinking when responding to his questions. And that was how Richard told Prof Menon (who lives in my village) that he wanted to stay alive; his family had been convinced there was no way in a million years that he would want to live with such severe injuries.

It clearly demonstrates that one can never be sure how one will feel in these catastrophic circumstances until it happens to you. The chances are that even if you have made a living will declaring in advance that you do not wish to be treated if you are seriously injured and unable to communicate, you could change your mind when faced with that final choice.

I remember thinking when I was younger that I would not want to continue living if I had a mastectomy. And then I became a mum and realised that my sons would still need me as their mother, regardless of how I looked and the effects of major life- saving surgery on my body. It would not be the end of the world, and last night’s sensitive documentary demonstrated that this could also be the case following a serious brain injury when a patient like Richard has “locked-in syndrome” – when someone can think, hear and feel, but is unable to speak or move their limbs. To see Richard’s smile now, one can clearly see that he is still glad to be alive.

Headway Cambridgeshire has a superb support officer at Addenbrooke’s who helps families through their horrendous trauma. Many of our service users in Cambridge have had road accidents and our professionally trained staff help rehabilitate them. I am reminded again of how wonderful our organisation is, and what a privilege it is to serve as their chair of trustees, knowing that our small charity is making a huge difference to their lives.

I attended a Headway conference at the weekend and learned that fewer people suffer brain injures today as a result of car accidents as our modern cars are much safer, but that increasing serious brain injures were caused by assaults. This is what makes me fearful as a mother of two teenage boys, I know these devastating accidents can happen to anyone without warning and shatter the lives of families for ever.

I would like to say a tremendous thank you to Prof Menon for your sensitivity and perception which came through in the documentary, as well as your brilliant skill as a surgeon, and to your superb team at Addenbrooke’s too.

Here is link to the programme on BBC iPlayer.