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Hello my name is Bram.

I’ve got something called Locked-in Syndrome. It is very rare and there is absolutely no way you can catch it from me, but everybody could have it.

I have got Locked-in Syndrome because I had a bicycle accident and fractured my skull causing my brain to get damaged.  It has only damaged the part of my brain that tells the rest of my body to move. I can think and understand just like everybody else, I can see perfectly as long as I have my glasses on just like many other people. Luckily for me I can move my eyes. I have to use my eyes for every thing especially to communicate with other people. Every time I want something I have to ask somebody else to do it for me which means I have to spell out every letter of every word to get my message across. They have to look at the letters and colours my eyes point to on a special letter board called an e-trans board.  

Apart from this I can’t eat I get most of my food in a tube in my stomach called a peg. I miss eating a lot; I crave different types of food at different times of day. I have put up with living like this for ten years; I have just started using a new computer which is helping me lots. I have however missed out on a big part of my life. All of this could have been different if I had listened to people who told me to wear a helmet when I am on my bicycle. I thought I would look stupid from all the rest of my friends, but I think I look stupid now stuck in this wheelchair. I never thought such a simple accident could ruin the good life I enjoyed so much. If I could change what happened to me I would. I would gladly go back to my old life.  

It might seem odd but I hate sitting down all day I would love to go back to work. Your body is the most important thing you will ever have, a major part of your body is your brain but it is very fragile. It is protected by your skull, although your skull is very strong and tough it is nowhere near tough enough to protect your brain when you ride a bicycle. You must have an extra layer of protection between your skull and the floor. Wear a bicycle helmet to protect yourself. I was very lucky to survive my bicycle accident even though I wasn’t wearing a bicycle helmet; many people who have similar accidents die.