Source: The Melbourne Age [LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]

AS I READ Jessica Grace's piece ("Lost in the private pain of a loved one in need", Insight, 17/2), my mum reached out to wipe a tear from my cheek. She knew that the pain I was feeling had something to do with her and so she whispered, "I am fine now darling". But she is not fine, and she never will be. Anyone who has a loved one with an acquired brain injury (ABI) knows that the effects are as vast as the sky is blue. Jessica presented this little known disability with compassion and truth. Her comment that her father's ABI is "a hidden damage that silently altered his personality, moods and memory" poignantly speaks for all ABI sufferers and the world of pain in which they live. It is a world they share with spouses, children, family and friends … a world where the only guarantee is its permanence.

ABIs are poorly understood and supported in our community. To this end, I have decided to do something about it, and am launching an exhibition in September to promote greater awareness, titled Head Case, supported by Brain Injury Australia. Including works by some of Australia's brightest creative talents, this will draw upon themes of loss and identity as experienced by those with brain injuries.

My mum is a mere shadow of the woman she once was, my father a tower of patience and strength in his role of carer, and it is for them that I speak out.

Skye Luckins, East St Kilda