Encephalitis, caused by an infection or by the body attacking itself, is an inflammation of the brain that can have quite devastating effects, and usually, the life of a person is changed forever. This is the case with Eden Dora who was diagnosed with the infection when she was just 6 years old.
When a person contracts encephalitis, the people they love and the ones who love them are also touched by the illness. As Eden’s mother explained, it’s not an easy journey for anyone.
This is the time I started to grieve. There’s no other word for it. The child I gave birth to and raised for 6 and a half years was gone. I had a new little girl, and nobody could understand that feeling at all. It is such a difficult issue. Eden was thankfully still alive but is a completely different child. I have still got my child, in physical form, but I’ve got a different child emotionally, physiologically, behaviourally, intellectually and I wasn’t prepared for that. I don’t suppose you could ever be prepared for it. Nobody could.
Eden’s family set out to bring support to other families who were affected by the illness and to, in turn, help Eden. Soon after, the Eden Dora Trust was born. The mission of the Eden Dora Trust is to help children and their families/caregivers who are affected by encephalitis, in addition, they also strive to raise awareness.
In addition to ‘speak’ – how they provide awareness and support, they also have patrons involved with their trust that spread the word, find ways to get involved, and donate to help those working through the aftermath of encephalitis or an ABI (acquired brain injury). One of these patrons has gone above and beyond for Eden and, in doing so, brought her story to millions all around the world.
That patron is Louis Tomlinson, and his journey with Eden has only served to bring both of them an incredible friendship in one another.
Louis has played an important part in Eden’s story this far, and on June 24th he took to social media to ask his followers to show their support in voting for the Eden Dora Trust to be picked as Sainsbury’s charity of the year.
Sainsbury’s picks a local charity each year to support, make an impact upon, and partner with through various donations, fundraisers, and volunteering – the partnership lasts for a year and helps to show their community why the charity is so beneficial and how it’s making a difference in the lives of many.
With the Eden Dora Trust, a lot of awareness has been brought to conditions most people wouldn’t have been aware of before, and the devastating after-effects that frequently come alongside them. There’s no textbook formula for working through what happens after a diagnosis and there’s no easy cure-all, so any and all awareness raised can help change the lives of those affected in more ways than one, and that’s what Eden’s family hopes to do.
It comes as no surprise that Louis would ask his millions of fans for their support in getting this charity the acknowledgment that it deserves and in this small way if we can help make a difference, there’s no reason we shouldn’t! If you want to join Louis, and us at CelebMix in voting for the Eden Dora Trust please visit Sainsbury’s Local Charity site where you can vote for the trust and ask your friends to do the same!
You can also read more on Louis and Eden’s journey together and her own story at their web page and find out more information on how you can get involved too.