Episode 67. Locked-In Syndrome with Kate Allatt – Author of Running Free

I am joined by Kate Allatt to discuss her experience of, and advocacy for, locked-in state as she narrated in her book Running Free: Breaking out of Locked in Syndrome.

Kate has an extraordinary journey of resilience after being ‘buried alive’, the result of a brainstem stroke when she was just 39. She described this as a condition where you can feel, think, hear and see completely normally but are unable to move a single muscle. She explored the transformation from being an active and passionate runner to being helpless and requiring help for every need.

Kate chronicled the onset of her symptoms with a headache and slurred speech, and the subsequent progression of her symptoms with loss of consciousness that culminated in being completely locked-in. She also recalled the thoughts and emotions that dominated her mind in the subsequent stages of her illness.

Our conversation also covered such concepts as the pessimism that permeates the attitude to the care of people in locked-in, the potential for completely recovery even the most extreme cases, the role of intense rehabilitation and determination in recovering from locked-in state, and the concept of neuroplasticity. She particularly highlighted how she brought her passionate attitude to running to her rehabilitation.

Kate is an inspirational speaker and will also discuss the impact her advocacy and peer mentoring has made to thousands of families around the world. Running Free has been showcased on BBC Jeremy Vine, ITV This Morning, BBC Breakfast, The One Show, Women’s Hour, Newsnight, Loose Women, BBC Worldwide, India, South Africa, USA, South America etc. In addition, she founded a charity just three months from leaving hospital in 2011.