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Every new monthly donation set up between 1 to 28 September 2026 will be doubled for the first three months – all powered by Big Give.

That means the support you give in your first three months will reach twice as far — helping us support more people, sooner. 

Every day, people come to us in the middle of the worst moment of their lives — a sudden headache that turns out to be a bleed on the brain, a scan that reveals a tumour, a diagnosis with a name they’ve never heard before. In that moment, what people need most is somewhere to turn: a nurse who’ll answer the phone, information they can trust, and others who understand what they’re going through. 

That’s what the Brain and Spine Foundation is here for. And this September, your support could go twice as far. 

Why are we asking for your support? 

In May 2018, Louise was visiting her husband in hospital, where he was critically ill with sepsis, when she had a seizure of her own. She woke up in a different London hospital, having suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by a dissected vertebral artery and a ruptured aneurysm.  

Louise had emergency surgery, an external ventricular drain fitted, and now has three stents in her artery. After three weeks in intensive care, high dependency and then a ward, she was finally reunited with her three children. 

A month later, a follow-up scan showed the aneurysm hadn’t fully closed and was filling again. This meant more surgery. Louise says the NHS saved her life, but she was left an emotional mess, struggling to feel like the mum she’d been before, and feeling that no one around her could really understand what she was going through. 

“The Facebook support group was my lifeline,” says Louise, who found BSF’s Peer Support group while searching for others who understood. “It was like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders once I could express how I felt without judgement and with total genuine understanding.” 

“I am not sure how much longer my recovery would have taken without the advice, knowledge, and comfort of all the lovely people in the group,” she adds. “Through their support, I learnt how to be more resilient, determined and to accept that this is just a part of my life story.” 

 

It’s not just Louise 

Jan turned to BSF when she couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone else after brain surgery to remove a tumour. She reached out to our helpline via the email service, 

“I emailed the nurses and had a reply immediately. I was really surprised to get a reply straight away. Amazing. I was so very grateful.” 

 

And others who use our helpline have shared,

“My beautiful 18-year-old granddaughter has just been diagnosed with syringomyelia (a fluid-filled cyst that forms within the spinal cord). I had a truly excellent conversation with your nurse, who was very helpful and incredibly empathetic. Your help is invaluable.”  

Will you set up a regular gift so that more people can receive the support and information they need? 

What your monthly gift could do* 

  • £6 a month could help someone newly diagnosed feel less overwhelmed and more informed through our trusted information service. 
  • £12 a month could help someone recently discharged from hospital feel more confident managing their ongoing symptoms and medications through our Helpline. 
  • £26 a month could help someone living with a complex neurological condition feel less anxious and find a community of people who understand through a Peer Support Group. 

Set up your monthly gift between 1 and 28 September and see it DOUBLED for three months, powered by Big Give. The link will be shared here when the campaign is live!

What can you do now? 

  • We’d doubly appreciate it if you could share the campaign with friends, family or your networks – anyone who might like their donation doubled too. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

*It will be DOUBLE this amount for the first three months! Don’t miss out on your donation supporting even more people.