Every year thousands of people in Ireland suffer from an acquired brain injury. Soaps often deal with difficult issues, and Fair City is currently doing just that by highlighting the challenges of coping with a brain injury.
Una Kavanagh is the actress at the centre of the storyline. Her character Heather is dealing with the effects of brain injury.
"She had a fall which left her in a coma, and she came out of the coma with a very severe brain trauma injury which included memory loss and many challenges that she and her family had to face," Una explained.
"It's very much a story about how her life has changed and how the family has to cope."
Una was required to undertake thorough research in order to accurately portray the changes in her character after sustaining such a life-changing injury.
"I had some knowledge of it. When I was a child my mum had a stroke, so I was familiar with certain aspects of it. I read and watched as much as I could, and I really wanted to bring all that I could in terms of the truth and integrity of it. There was a lot of observing and trying to embody that."
Dr. Elaine Kelly, clinical psychologist with Headway, explained that acquired brain injury "is an injury that occurs to the brain across the lifetime."
Recovery depends on the extent of the injury, but people with moderate to severe brain injuries will likely face lifelong challenges: "There are about 50,000 people living in Ireland living with enduring disabilities as a result of acquired brain injury."
Brain injuries have a significant impact on families, which is why Headway offers support to loved ones as well as the person with the injury. However, more services are needed
"The reality is, there's not enough supports out there. The government need to put in place effective strategy, policy and funding to help people and their families cope with these very significant changes."
In the meantime, Elaine feels that Fair City is doing a very important job in raising awareness of the issue.
