37-year-old actress, Emilia Clarke – best known for her role in Game Of Thrones – along with her mother, Jenny, have been awarded Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs) for their work in raising awareness about brain injuries through their charity organisation, SameYou.
Emilia Clarke, after suffering two brain haemorrhages in her 20s, started the SameYou organisation with her mother, Jenny, to provide support to brain injury survivors.
Emilia survived her first haemorrhage in her 20s, after wrapping up the first season of Game of Thrones. In hospital, she fought for her life and thankfully, survived the experience.
As per reports by the BBC, Clarke says:
“In hospital, every day you’re told you’re going to die. Every day you’re watched like a hawk, especially in a brain ward. You’re woken up every two hours. It’s this high-stakes scenario. And then three weeks to a month later, you’re let out.”
Rehabilitation doesn’t end with a hospital release, nor does the trauma of suffering a life-threatening ordeal. Emilia says:
“I was fine, but I was so terrified to suddenly be at home, and I was at home with a loving family. That’s not [the same for] everyone, and the fear that you’re left with.”
Those qualified and equipped to deal with brain injury patients in recovery are also spread thin, dividing time between hundreds of patients living through trauma, says Clarke:
“I had this incredible nurse, but I was one of 400 patients that she had. She couldn’t give me more than half an hour every three weeks. This is a day-to-day experience of living after a brain injury.”
After surviving the first haemorrhage, Clarke suffered another, with no serious repercussions. It was then she decided that she would take action to support survivors. The BBC quotes:
“Then when I had my second brain haemorrhage, I was like, I’ve got to do something big. Looking at the fact that I’ve survived two of these with no repercussions – I’m here for a reason, let me do something about it.”
Clarke and her mother Jenny – who had also previously undergone brain surgery to remove an aneurysm – went on to set up SameYou, providing support for brain injury patients in need of rehabilitation.
View this post on Instagram
“We realised that very few people had access to long enough rehabilitation or early enough rehabilitation,” says Jenny, Clarke’s mother. “You are expected to get better after a certain period, and that, sadly, is not the reality for the majority of people. Even if you have a very mild brain injury, it’s a really major trauma.”
In speaking of their motivations behind SameYou, Emilia says:
“The single most important thing that we’ve done is at least build the first brick of a foundation of a platform to talk about this, because it’s a shameful thing – people feel ashamed when they’ve got it. You can’t comprehend it… and you can’t explain to someone what the intricacies of it are.”
View this post on Instagram
In Emilia’s interview with the BBC about receiving an MBE for the UK New Years Honours List – a prestigious award recognising outstanding service and contributions to various fields within the United Kingdom – she highlights the effort and commitment of her mother, who was also awarded with the honour.
“The most important thing is that my mum got it. The fact that it’s us together is very sweet and lovely, but the reason why the charity really exists is because of all the work that my mum does.”
Jenny dedicates the honour to the millions of survivors who have written to the organisation and who don’t have voices.
“The great honour that we’ve both been awarded, I don’t see it at all for us, because we’re just starting off on this journey to try and raise awareness, but [it is for] the tens of thousands of people that have written to us and the millions of people around the world that don’t have a voice.”
ALSO SEE:
Grey’s Anatomy’s Patrick Dempsey named Sexiest Man Alive at 57
Feature Image: Getty
