Raj's story

Doctors initially thought Raj Gataora wouldn’t eat, drink or even breathe by himself when he sustained a traumatic brain injury following a road crash in 2005.

Then aged 21, Raj, from Nottingham, was driving home from work in terrible weather conditions when a deer ran in front of his car, causing him to swerve and crash.

Raj’s life changed completely, and for several years he found it difficult to come to terms with his injury and the huge changes he now faced.

But a determined Raj, now 41, decided to go back to education and “prove everyone wrong.”

After many hours studying and putting in the hard work, he graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Criminology.

Raj said: “Graduation was epic! When I went up to collect my degree, my name was called out and my support worker helped me, and I walked over and received my degree.

“The whole audience in the concert hall were clapping until I sat down. It was such a fantastic feeling – really amazing for me.”

Raj also credits attending Headway Nottingham as helping him gain confidence by introducing him to new people and connecting with other brain injury survivors.

Raj is sharing his story as a part of Headway’s Action for Brain Injury Week (ABI Week), which runs May 19- 25.

This year’s campaign is called On a good day and tells of the fluctuating and unpredictable nature of brain injury, highlighting the gap between capabilities on a good day versus a bad day.

A good day to Raj includes meeting up with peers at Headway Nottingham and socialising with friends over a coffee, as well as enjoying activities like rock climbing or going to the gym.  

He said: “A good day for me looks like having a laugh with people who have been through what I have been through, and we all share stories with one another.

“I have become very confident since coming to Headway Nottingham.

“I just feel comfortable when I’m here. If you’re scared of going and meeting new people – trust me, I was. But now, fear, pah. No fear at all, it was all worth it.”

A bad day can see Raj become overwhelmed and withdrawn.

He said:

On a bad day, when I’m around loads of people, it can feel rather claustrophobic.

“I don’t like loads of information blurting out, it becomes overwhelming for me, and I become withdrawn.

“When I’m intimated by someone who’s talking about their morals and values, if their morals and values don’t side with mine, I tend to get angry and I sometimes challenge it, but that doesn’t happen too often.”

Find more On a good day stories