A determined Salford man who fought to rebuild his life after a car accident left him with a devastating brain injury has won a national award for reaching out to others affected.
Steven Lomas, 44 and originally from Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, was named Achiever of the Year at the Headway brain injury awards ceremony held at The Dorchester Hotel, in London, on Friday 11 December.
The award recognises Steven rebuilding his life and relationships after a horrific car accident in Ancoats resulted in a near-fatal brain injury that cost him his managerial career.
Steven was presented with his award by double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, who is Vice President of the charity. The awards ceremony, organised by Headway – the brain injury association, celebrates the inspirational achievements of survivors of brain injury and their carers in the face of adversity, as well as the outstanding contributions individuals have made to the charity.
With the support of Headway Stockport and South Manchester, Steven slowly rebuilt his life, though even today his brain injury causes him to struggle with controlling his emotions and behaviour. A decade on from his ordeal, Steven was this year awarded a First Class (BSc Honours) degree in Professional Broadcast Techniques from the University of Salford after creating a moving personal documentary about his life with brain injury, called Re-Cognition:
“Steven showed tremendous courage by making himself the focus of his documentary in order to give encourage to other people affected by brain injury,” said Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway UK.
“He deserves a great deal of credit for his willingness to be so open about how his brain injury has affected him and how it devastated every aspect of his life to show people that there can be life after brain injury.
“Steven is an inspirational young man and he fully deserves this honour.”
The Headway Annual Awards celebrate the exceptional efforts of survivors of brain injury and those caring for them.
