TOWIE star Jordan Brooks has revealed that his brain is "damaged forever" following his battle with meningitis earlier this year. The 31-year-old reality star, best known as a long-serving cast member on The Only Way Is Essex, shared the update with his 310,000 followers on social media after undergoing an MRI scan as a follow-up appointment.
MRI shows permanent scarring
In a video posted to Instagram, Brooks said: "It's a real and bittersweet feeling when you see a picture of your brain and you see that there is damage there that will be there forever." He added: "I'm so proud of myself and how far I've come and really feel that I'm making that recovery, I'm almost at the six months mark now, which is a huge milestone in brain recovery."
Alongside a series of photos, he wrote: "Imagine breaking your leg or your arm… you will always see that scar on your body and this is one unfortunately you can't see it, it's in the head. It's just a reminder about how bad these infections can be on the brain and that they can affect anyone."
Recovery and raising awareness
Brooks, who is in a relationship with Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei and has a three-month-old son named Brody with her, said he is determined to raise awareness. He said: "I'm doing everything I can do in my power to help people and raise awareness. I've got a lovely charity that I'm working closely with, we're gonna do some amazing things. I'm so determined to be me, I'm feeling like Jordan again. The energy is high, just got to keep going and fighting through this."
In the caption of his post, he told fans that even though the news was tough, he still has good and bad days. He said: "I've just come out of another follow-up appointment and today I got to see my MRI and the scarring that's been left on my brain. I won't lie, seeing it was hard to take. But if this journey has taught me anything, it's how resilient we really are. There are good days and difficult ones, but I'm still here, still recovering and still moving forward."
Health battle and parenthood
During his health battle, Brooks's brain swelled, and though he recovered and is able to move and speak again, there was a moment when he thought he would die. Just weeks ago, he said that despite how happy he and Sophie were to welcome their son, his brain injury had made parenthood tricky.
Speaking to The Sun, Brooks said: "It was very tough at the beginning with things like night feeds because I was going through a brain injury recovery. Of course, Soph took so much of the brunt on which I'm so thankful that she did." He added that doctors had told him he needed to rest, insisting he needed to be "better to be a dad". He thanked Sophie, saying he couldn't have healed without her.
Sophie also spoke to The Sun, saying that the arrival of their son Brody was "bittersweet" as it followed the "worst time" of her life with Jordan. She admitted it was hard to balance knowing she was pregnant with "the best thing in the world" whilst it was still touch and go with her baby's father.
