By 1999, Sheena McDonald had established a successful career as a broadcast journalist. It began at BBC Radio Scotland in 1979, followed by BBC Radio Aberdeen and BBC Scotland TV. After six years at Scottish Television, covering arts, religion and news and making documentaries, she moved to London, working mainly for Channel 4 TV. In 1999, she suffered a very severe head injury from a police-van driving on the wrong side of the road. Her long, slow recovery was motivated by an inner determination not to be forever identified by that injury. Fionna Carlisle’s portrait is testimony to that goal.