International sports activities star’s dad confronted ‘excessive’ well being combat – ‘he did not know I existed’
Every time Aled Davies steps onto a rugby pitch, he does so with a simple yet deeply personal tribute wrapped around his wrist – the word “dad” inscribed on the white tape he wears for every match.
This is a homage to his late father, Huw, who battled encephalitis, a rare and often misunderstood neurological condition. Davies has long drawn strength from his father’s resilience, using his memory as a motivating force throughout his career.
Now, the Wales scrum-half is committed to honouring that legacy by helping to raise awareness of encephalitis and its impact on those affected by the condition. Davies was just 14 when his father began exhibiting a number of debilitating symptoms.
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“It started off with flu-like symptoms which he had all week. On the Friday he was sleeping in bed and he went into a seizure,” Davies shares with WalesOnline. “We took him to hospital but he was discharged a few hours later.
“By Saturday morning he still wasn’t 100% so my mother took him back to the hospital, but he got discharged again. By Saturday afternoon he was delirious. We lived in an old farmhouse and the window upstairs was on the floor.
“He nearly walked into that thinking it was a door. It was really extreme. I remember like it was yesterday him collapsing right in front of me and having seizures again. We then called an ambulance. He was in the high dependency unit in Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.”
Following further investigations Davies’ father was officially diagnosed with Encephalitis and spent some time in intensive care in Morriston Hospital.
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. It is caused either by an infection invading the brain (infectious encephalitis) or through the immune system attacking the brain in error. It affects three people every minute globally, yet many people do not know what it is, which leads to delays in diagnosis.
As part of his ambassador role with Encephalitis International, Davies is keen to raise awareness and make people aware of the signs to look out for. The warning signs are flu-like symptoms, loss of consciousness, an acute headache, memory problems, emotional and behavioural changes and seizures.
Davies’ father was on a drug called Acyclovir, which helped the condition. However, following his father’s diagnosis life, transformed drastically for the Davies family.
“He was initially in intensive care to give the brain a rest because of the swelling,” said Davies. “He got moved to a mental health ward and he was there until March. In March he started coming home on the weekend to see if we could deal with everything.
“Initially he didn’t know that I existed. He thought I was my brother. It was as if he missed a chunk of his life. That came back in time but he had a short-term memory problem then. He would literally forget what he did two minutes ago.
“We had to manage that at home. My mother and my older brother were unbelievable during this period. He couldn’t work again. He had a diary and he’d put everything down in it. So, he’d use his diary as his memory. It was a tough time for us all.”
Davies was just 14 when his father received the diagnosis, a pivotal moment that aligned with the start of his rugby career.
In the subsequent years, he forged an impressive career with Scarlets, Ospreys, Saracens and Cardiff, earning 20 caps for Wales.
Davies’ father tragically died following a separate cancer battle, but the Cardiff scrum-half remains dedicated to ensuring others gain better understanding of encephalitis, drawing on his family’s ordeal to highlight awareness of the condition.
During that journey, the scrum-half carried his father’s legacy alongside him, transforming personal grief into a wellspring of drive and strength. “I was in year 10 and well into my rugby journey playing for Scarlets U16s,” he tells WalesOnline.
“Rugby helped me in the sense I had a focus. I was young and when things happen to you you just go with it. My oldest brother had just finished university so he was home to help my mother because we still had the farm.
“My mum was travelling to Morriston and working on the farm so it was a tough period. Going through something as difficult as this does give you resilience. It does put life into perspective. Every time I took the field I’d write ‘Dad’ on the tape on my wrist. I was so motivated to make him proud.”
Davies has encouraged anyone who suspects they might have encephalitis to seek medical help immediately and to keep pushing for answers if their worries aren’t being taken seriously.
“If you have any symptoms like this go and see a doctor straight away,” he said. “If they’ve heard about this condition they should mention it to the doctor.
“To begin with this condition was misdiagnosed with my dad. He was having seizures so he should never have been sent home. They initially thought it may have been a urine infection. That’s why it is so important to get it out there to stop it happening to someone else.”
