Acquiring a life-changing brain injury at 28 was not on Sinéad Lucey Brennan’s radar until one day in 2016 “the rug was pulled from under her feet”. Sinéad was unaware she had an AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation) until she experienced a haemorrhagic stroke. After surgery, she spent 3 weeks in ICU and on discharge realised that services were minimal for neurorehabilitation. She credits her partner, family, friends, healthcare professionals and Headway Ireland for supporting her physical and emotional recovery. Managing people’s expectations during her acute phase of recovery was tough. “I was told I would have no short-term memory for 12 months which was correct and a pen and pad to write things down were essential. It did return but that acute period was tough”. She felt she couldn’t tell people at work about her disability initially. “I was anxious about the impact on my working potential. I tried hard to figure out how to share my story and I didn’t know how to articulate what I’d been through. I masked for too long and this led to burnout. “The office environment had sensory challenges and I educated my HR team to help with the office set up and was accommodated with remote work too.” She worked with Headway Ireland to help routine, planning, organising, and rebuilding her life. Nearly 8 years on, she is a mother to a baby daughter which she “couldn’t have imagined” during her experience. She is running in the local elections for Fianna Fáil in Balbriggan to amplify the lived experience of disabled people. “It’s both the small and the significant issues. It’s access to amenities, public buildings and areas, footpaths and lighting that don’t work for disabled people and with some consultation, they would. It’s the lack of school places and general services for disabled children and adults that spurred me to run. Through her work as a disability advocate, she backed the Neurological Alliance of Ireland’s Brain Awareness Week campaign this month.”