I continue to be helped by all of my interactions with the wonderful members of the Encephalitis Global community. Over the last year, I have taken enormous strides that would never have occurred without this group. Every week I learn something new that helps me with my own recovery, and I am encouraged to help others in this group. Kudos to Ingrid and Wendy for starting and running such a wonderful organization, and kudos for all of the participants for forming such a fantastic community.

Encephalitis Global has filled a crucial function in my life, even though I do not know any of the other members personally. This group has been a vital part of my recovery from encephalitis. Early in my recovery, I felt that this was one of the only places I could turn. Hearing the thoughts of a group of people who have been through what I have been through, as well as those that have cared for us, is incredibly important. I need and am attached to my family and friends, but they simply cannot understand what it is like to be inside our heads. I know we are all different, but we all share the trauma and recovery that comes with encephalitis. In that, we are our own community. This community is the one place where those of us living post-encephalitis lives can find others who know EXACTLY how we feel. Caregivers try their best, physicians are knowledgable, but only those of us who are actually living with the afterglow of a traumatic brain injury are able to truly know what it is like. In a bizarre post-encephalitic way, we are like our own family.