Our Patient and Family Panel

Elizabeth brings more than 13 years of dedicated advocacy, leadership, and public engagement to the brain aneurysm community. She survived a grade 5 subarachnoid haemorrhage in 2011 caused by a ruptured giant aneurysm and had another clipped in 2023. Her SAH initially left her blind, paralysed, and cognitively impaired, and although she has rebuilt her life with extraordinary determination, she remains partly blind.

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Today, she runs a long‑standing support group for people who have experienced haemorrhages, has volunteered with the RNIB and Stroke Association, and became the first trustee with a neurological condition to serve on the Board of the Brain & Spine Foundation.

 

A retired Judge and experienced public speaker, Elizabeth has spent over a decade educating the public about aneurysms and neuro care - including speaking at Downing Street in 2023 and featuring in the 2020 film Some Inattention on the Left, shown to MPs. She has also exhibited artwork exploring her own brain injury and currently serves as Chair of the NIHR Health Tech Unmet Needs in Brain Injury. Her commitment to improving diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for others continues to drive her work with HBA Support.

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You can read more about Elizabeth’s story here

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Ana joined HBA Support after losing her husband to a brain aneurysm, an unforeseeable and heartbreaking loss that reshaped every part of her life. In searching for understanding and support, she found a community that helped her navigate the aftermath - and now she is committed to giving that same support to others.

 

Ana hopes to use her experience to ensure that more families receive the care, compassion, and guidance they need during the most difficult moments.

Andy’s connection to brain aneurysms runs deep, having lost his dad to a rupture at the age of four and surviving his own aneurysm as a young adult.

 

Despite a frightening experience, limited follow‑up support, and years of uncertainty around hereditary risk, Andy rebuilt his life with determination - pursuing a career in sport, education, and research development, and later becoming a father himself.

 

After discovering HBA Support, he found the reassurance and community he had long been searching for and now hopes to use his lived experience to support others, raise awareness, and help ensure families receive the guidance and care he struggled to find.

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Read Andy's story here

Listen to Andy's story and Andy's podcast

Laura’s connection to brain aneurysms is deeply personal. She lost her mum in 2013 following a rupture and life‑saving brain surgery that left lasting effects, including early‑onset dementia.

 

Just a year later, Laura survived her own subarachnoid haemorrhage and underwent emergency coiling - an experience that was isolating and left her searching for answers and understanding. Wanting to ensure no one else felt as alone as she once did, she founded the Facebook community Brain Aneurysms UK, creating a space of hope, connection, and support for survivors and families.

 

Laura now brings her empathy, lived experience, and commitment to compassionate care to the PFAP, determined to help shape better awareness, communication, and support for everyone affected by hereditary brain aneurysms.

Maria survived a grade four brain aneurysm rupture that doctors did not expect her to survive. Her recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. Despite having no memory of the event itself, she rebuilt her life with determination, returning to work, driving again, and embracing time with her grandchildren.

 

With a strong family history of brain bleeds and based on her own experiences, Maria is passionate about raising awareness and pushing for change. She now volunteers at the Floyd Unit, offering hope to patients by sharing her journey, and joins the PFAP to help ensure that no family faces an aneurysm without the support, knowledge and reassurance they deserve.

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Read more on Maria's story here

Listen to Maria's podcast here

Lorna joined HBA Support after losing her mum, Connie, suddenly to a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2024 - a devastating shock that left her searching for answers, clarity, and connection. Discovering HBAS, she found not just information but genuine support at a time of deep grief.

 

Lorna and her partner Tom have since raised vital funds in Connie’s memory, and she has been struck by how personal and compassionate the community feels. With her experience and a strong desire to help others avoid the confusion she faced, Lorna now brings her voice, experience, and determination to the PFAP, honouring her mum’s legacy by supporting families navigating the same uncertain path.

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Read Lorna's and her mum Connie's story here

Luke came to HBA Support after losing his dad to a brain aneurysm and was searching for answers and support in the months that followed.

 

Discovering that HBAS was the only UK charity dedicated specifically to brain aneurysms, he quickly connected with the team and began fundraising, raising awareness through his social channels, and introducing HBAS to his professional contacts within the healthcare and neuro community.

 

His commitment has grown steadily, reinforced by time spent with the charity, and he is now keen to contribute beyond fundraising. Joining PFAP is, for Luke, a meaningful way to support HBAS’s mission and help make a real difference for families affected by aneurysms.

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Read Luke's and his dad Steve's story here

Read about Luke's year of fundraising for HBA Support here

Simran’s motivation to join the PFAP came from a life changing experience that reshaped her understanding of healthcare, resilience, and advocacy. In 2020, her healthy 49 year old mother was suddenly found to have three brain aneurysms - one already ruptured - leading to emergency surgery, weeks in ICU, and an extraordinary recovery that transformed their family’s lives. That miraculous journey inspired Simran to champion greater awareness, preparedness, and support for families facing similar crises. 
 

As a Civil Servant, Simran has successfully championed health and wellbeing initiatives, strengthening her ability to navigate resistance, and deliver meaningful impact. She hopes to use her lived experience to strengthen communication, amplify patient voices, and ensure that no one navigating an aneurysm feels uninformed or alone. Joining the PFAP is, for Simran, a meaningful way to turn her family’s story into positive change for others.

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Read Simran's and her mum's story here