Chiswick Author To Present Charity Appeal
Catherine Jessop appearing on Radio 4 for the Encephalitis Society
Alan and Catherine Jessop
Chiswick-based author Catherine Jessop is to present the BBC’s Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the Encephalitis Society.
This Boxing Day, it will be exactly five years since her husband Alan collapsed with a seizure leading to a year in hospital and a permanent brain injury.
The programme going out in Christmas week is one of the most popular of the entire year, and the Encephalitis Society are delighted to have secured this slot.
Although 6,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with encephalitis every year, 78% of people have never heard of it.
"I was incredibly honoured to be asked to represent the Encephalitis Society on the prestigious BBC Radio 4 charity appeal," said Catherine. "To be featured on Boxing Day is extremely poignant for me and my family as it will be five years exactly to the day (in fact almost to the minute) that Alan first became ill.
“Raising awareness of this terrible illness is a vital part of both getting an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Millions of people listen to Radio 4, so I am thrilled to be able to help spread the word in this way and really hope that the appeal will raise much needed funds for the Encephalitis Society!"
She added: "I really want to get across to the listeners just how devastating the impact of encephalitis can be, not just for the person who gets it, but also for their family and friends.”
Catherine’ husband, Alan, fell ill with encephalitis on Boxing Day 2016 and spent most of 2017 receiving treatment in Charing Cross Hospital. This experience, and everything she learned during Alan’s illness and recovery, led her to write Pulling Through: Help for Families Navigating Life-Changing Illness which was published this autumn and was included in the 2021 Chiswick Book Festival. It is available from Waterstones and Amazon.
The Radio 4 Appeal is a weekly 3-minute programme highlighting the work of a charity and asking for donations. Radio 4 has been broadcasting a weekly charity appeal since the 1920s and the programme in its current form has been running since 1998.
You can hear the programme live every Sunday at 7:54am and 9.25pm and again on Thursday at 3:27pm.
All appeals are then available on the BBC iPlayer.
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December 16, 2021
