A story from the heart

Jennie Gow is a Formula 1 broadcaster and pitlane reporter, but also a wife and mother to a little girl. In December 2022, Jennie’s life was changed in a moment. She had been suffering from a bad cold with a persistent cough, which doctors had put down to a seasonal flu. Between Christmas and New Year’s, Jennie had a particularly heavy cough and passed out in the bathroom.

Luckily for Jennie, she was found by her husband and daughter who called an ambulance, and she was rushed into hospital. It was found that she had suffered a stroke triggered by her cough. Jennie was able to undergo an important procedure in the critical timeframe, and despite not being able to speak or move properly, she remained in a stable condition.

Just a few months before, in August 2022, Jennie had taken out an LV= Income Protection plan on the recommendation of her financial adviser. At the time, she didn’t realise how important that conversation would be.

Jennie began a long journey of rehabilitation following her operation, to re-learn basic speech and movement. At the same time, she was supported through having her Income Protection kick in. This meant she didn’t have to worry about her family having to cover all the outgoings. She was able to focus on her recovery and get back to broadcasting at her own pace. Her Income Protection went beyond just the financial side, also funding some private speech and language therapy sessions, through the rehab support services feature included in her cover. 

You can hear Jennie’s story in her own words here. Her story is one that really showcases why we’re all in the industry and the impact that individuals can make at a difficult time to deliver a positive outcome – including healthcare professionals, her adviser, and her LV= claims assessor who all formed part of her journey.