With the brain injury, I started to feel anxiety. I was depressed. The life I knew before — of being very active — was gone. But being with Ronnie and Helen, they've shown me what it's like to have someone in your corner...

Liam reflects on journey back from horror haemorrhage with the support of Quarriers

- JACK THOMSON LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER

"A few hours had passed and I noticed this headache...just felt like the worst migraine ever. I actually thought that my time was up." These are the words of Linwood man Liam McLaughlin as he reflects on the moments preceding his diagnosis with a subarachnoid haemorrhage in February.

A fit adult with a keen interest in extreme sports such as skateboarding and mountain biking, the 42-year-old woke one morning with what is known as a 'thunderclap headache.

Both his partner and mum phoned NHS 24 and an ambulance was sent out to take him to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley before he was later transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

"At the start, I thought that it was a really bad headache," Liam said. "After the first brain scan, they knew there was something seriously wrong.

"They took the appropriate action and rushed me to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where they've got a big neurodivision-and from there I was taken care of."

What can follow for people in Liam's situation is an unnerving or frightening period of uncertainty as they navigate their recovery from a brain injury.

The process can be life-changing and leave individuals feeling confused, anxious and isolated as they come to terms with what they have been through.

Recalling his own experience, Liam said: "I was home myself a lot. My family were doing a lot to help me but I was really feeling isolated.