Life changed in an instant - Laura's story

Laura was in her mid-twenties, had graduated university and was building a home with her partner. A traumatic brain injury changed life beyond all recognition.

Laura and her mum Janet tell us their story.

“Before the accident, we were what I call an ordinary family,” says Janet. “Everything was running nice and smoothly.

“I was really proud of Laura. I mean, I know she's my daughter so I’m biased but, ever since she was tiny, she’s always been a really caring person, especially with her brother. 

“They did the usual teenage things, you know. I've been there and worn the t-shirt, but she was a good girl. She went to uni, graduated, we were really so pleased and so proud of her.

Laura’s accident

“It was May bank holiday and I’d gone to bed. At about half past one in the morning I noticed missed calls from Laura's ex-boyfriend Neil. He said Laura had been rushed to hospital.

“When I called them they said she’s actually in theatre as we speak, get here as quick as possible because I think we’re losing her.”

Laura had been found at the bottom of her flat stairs and when the ambulance arrived they resuscitated Laura and put her on life support. She had life-saving surgery after experiencing multiple strokes that left her paralysed.

Laura was put into an induced coma with her mum told she might never wake up.

A flicker of hope

“And then, one particular day, we could see her eyes flickering," says Janet. "It was awesome! Suddenly she opened her eyes and then closed them."

“When Laura woke up she was peg fed and had a trachy because she couldn’t breathe on her own at the time. She started tracking us and I used to run around the hospital bed like an idiot, just trying to get her to track me.

“But gradually, one day Laura was coughing and she coughed the cap off and that was a really good sign, because she could cough up. So she got rid of her trachy, which was absolutely brilliant. We could try seeing if she would eat."

Laura says, “We were down in the coffee shop because my Dad likes the coffee, and we were naughty and he’d give me the foam.”

“She was fiddling about with the foam," says Janet, "and her Dad said ‘Laura, do you think you can hold a pen?’ So I fumbled about, gave her a pen and that’s when she started writing.”

Laura says, “I wrote ‘home’ and that was it.”

Coming on leaps and bounds

“Once Laura got to Shaftesbury's nursing home, she came on leaps and bounds," says Janet. "Her speech improved and she became more independent. They give her the choices."

“All the other hospitals she's been to, when I used to leave I used to get in the car and cry my eyes out because I just didn't want to leave her. But here, I used to leave and think oh I can go home, I can switch off and be normal. And the staff, not only do they support Laura but they support me too, which is what you need.”

Laura says: “I got to realise, it was all about me. Everything was in my best interest, and each decision was my own.”

“It’s taken nine years to get to where we are now," says Janet. "Laura defied all the doctors and nurses there saying that she would never come back, and she has. I'm so, so proud of her because even today she's always thinking of others.

“She wrote a book, not for herself but to help others who find themselves in the same situation or if they know somebody who's in that situation.

“It's always others, it's never me, me, me. I'm the proudest mum on this Earth having a daughter like Laura.”

Shaftesbury

Every 90 seconds, someone is admitted to a UK hospital with an acquired brain injury. That totals just under 1,000 people per day who began a normal day that ended up with life-changing trauma.

Shaftesbury is a charity that’s committed to enabling people with disabilities to live the life they want to lead. For over 180 years, Shaftesbury has supported people living with disabilities, including a wide range of care, education, vocation and rehabilitation services.

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Shaftesbury is incredibly thankful to all its supporters who choose to remember them in their Will. Without these gifts, the charity simply couldn’t support the hundreds of people who rely on them every day.

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If you’d like to find out more about leaving a gift in your Will, please call Shaftesbury's supporter services team on 0207 452 2121 or email them at supporterservices@shaftesburygroup.org

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