A life-threatening brain condition which affects thousands of people each year will be the focus of a roadshow in Aberdeen at the weekend.
To mark its 21st anniversary, The Encephalitis Society is visiting 21 cities in 21 days to raise awareness about the little-known condition that can strike at any age.
During the event, on Saturday, survivors and their families will speak about how it has affected them.
Maria McRobbie, of Aberdeen, has been dealing with the condition for over a decade.
She awoke one morning in March 2002 feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms.
She returned to bed and was later found unconscious by her husband Lenny and daughters Ria and Kim.
Mrs McRobbie was admitted to the Intensive Therapy Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and was put on a life support machine.
When she woke up from her coma several months later, she was paralysed from head to toe.
She said: “I was scared, confused and totally disorientated.
“I was terrified and wanted to scream but I couldn’t even open my mouth.”
Finally, four months after she was admitted, Mrs McRobbie managed to alert a nurse that she was awake by opening and closing her eyelids.
Since then, she has learned again how to walk and do most of the things she could do before.
The Encephalitis Society hopes its UK roadshow will spread the message about the condition which affects more than 6,000 people in the UK each year.
It will be at Castlegate on Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.