How it Started
Marshalling Brain Injuries Alliance was born from lived experience.
Rich and Jen Coates met in 2009 through their shared love of rugby union and married two years later. Like so many families connected by sport, they never imagined that the game which brought them together would one day change their lives so profoundly.
For many years, life appeared normal on the surface. Rich continued working and raising a family, while Jen built a career in management, customer service, and the care sector. But behind the scenes, both were facing challenges that neither fully understood at the time.
As the years passed, Rich's mental health began to deteriorate. He experienced severe depression, headaches, memory problems, mood changes, and increasing difficulties with day-to-day life. Jen, meanwhile, was living with the long-term consequences of repeated brain injuries sustained through years of domestic abuse, alongside her own experiences of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Neither of them knew that brain injury would eventually become central to their lives.
The Search For Answers
For several years before his diagnosis, it was clear that something wasn't right.
Rich's depression failed to respond to conventional treatment and his deteriorating mental health eventually led to a suicide attempt. At the same time, his memory was beginning to fail. What started as forgotten phones, misplaced items, and unfinished tasks gradually progressed to forgotten conversations and significant life events.
As his symptoms worsened, both Rich and Jen searched desperately for answers.
The journey through healthcare was often confusing, fragmented, and frustrating. Despite the growing impact on Rich's life, there were few clear pathways for people living with suspected CTE or the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts.
When Rich was eventually diagnosed with probable Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and early-onset dementia at the age of just 41, the news was devastating.
Yet alongside the shock came a sense of relief.
For the first time, there was an explanation for the symptoms that had been affecting him for years.
What followed was a new set of questions:
What support exists?
What treatments are available?
How will the condition progress?
What can we do to improve quality of life?
These are the same questions faced by countless families affected by brain injury today.
Why We Created MBIA
As they searched for information and support, Rich and Jen connected with other individuals and families facing similar challenges.
Again and again, they heard the same stories.
People were struggling to find reliable information.
Families felt isolated and unsupported.
Many had never been warned about the long-term risks associated with repeated head injuries.
Others were fighting to access benefits, healthcare, diagnosis, or appropriate support.
It became clear that there was a significant gap.
Rather than accept that reality, they decided to do something about it.
Marshalling Brain Injuries Alliance was created to provide the support, education, advocacy, and community that they themselves had struggled to find.
Their goal was simple:
To ensure that no one affected by brain injury has to face the journey alone.
Where We Are Today
Today, Marshalling Brain Injuries Alliance supports people affected by traumatic brain injury, concussion, post-concussion syndrome, CTE, dementia, domestic abuse-related brain injuries, military brain injuries, and many other neurological conditions.
Through our support groups, educational resources, awareness campaigns, advocacy work, and community partnerships, we help individuals and families better understand their condition and access the support they need.
Our work is shaped by both lived experience and evidence-based information.
We believe people deserve clear information, compassionate support, and the opportunity to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
Every day we work to raise awareness, challenge stigma, improve understanding, and create a stronger community for those affected by brain injury.
Looking Forward
While our journey began with one family's experience, our vision extends far beyond our own story.
We want a future where people are properly informed about the risks of brain injury, where families can access support without fighting for it, and where individuals living with conditions such as CTE are recognised, understood, and treated with dignity.
We will continue to raise awareness, advocate for change, support research, and provide practical help for those who need it most.
Together, we can create a future where nobody faces brain injury alone.
Together, We're Stronger.
