Rebecca becomes Charity Ambassador
8 June, 2009
Rebecca has accepted an invitation to become the latest
Ambassador of the Encephalitis Society, a national
charity and the only resource of its kind in the world supporting
people affected by the illness.
Rebecca's sister Laura was seriously ill in 2005 with
Encephalitis, a life threatening illness which leaves many of those
who survive with injury to the brain. Laura made a good
recovery, however the experience and its effect upon the family has
stayed with Rebecca. Following Rebecca's success at the
Beijing Olympics and her subsequent rise in popularity, Rebecca was
determined to make charitable work part of her agenda - an obvious
choice was of course a cause close to her heart.
Rebecca says: "Having seen at first hand how the illness
affected my sister Laura and how little we knew about it at the
time, my hope is to work with the team in order to raise awareness
of the illness to help sufferers and their families. I'm pleased
that my success in the swimming pool will enable me to increase the
understanding of the disease and make sure that other families
don't have to go through the experience we had."
Ava Easton, Development Manager, said: "We are absolutely
thrilled to have Rebecca join our team of VIP supporters. We
can't wait to tell the members of the Society, especially since
Rebecca has made it clear she wants to be really hands-on, meeting
as many of them as she can. It is a timely year for Rebecca
to come on board, 2009 is our 15th birthday and so this
makes the year even more special for us all".
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, usually caused by
infection. The condition is indiscriminate, striking adults
and children alike, showing no respect for age, gender, ethnic
origin or culture.
Mortality rates are high and many of those who survive are left
with an acquired brain injury, the degree and severity of which
will vary. Their difficulties may include cognitive,
physical, emotional, behavioural, or psychosocial consequences.
The Encephalitis Society was founded in 1994, is a registered
charity and the only resource of its kind in the world providing
direct support and information to people affected by
Encephalitis. The Society answers over 2000 calls
for support and information from people affected and their families
in the UK and Ireland, each year. Their Website receives 2000
hits from all over the world each week and the staff team do what
they can to respond to the many requests and emails received from
across the globe.
A link to Rebecca's Ambassador profile on the Encephalitis
Society website
http://www.encephalitis.info/TheSociety/WhoWho/Ambassador.aspx