The money we raise will go directly to Changing Minds with Pick Up a Penny to help fund my daughter’s treatment and, just as importantly, to give other families the same opportunity.

Changing Minds with Pick Up a Penny is a Community Interest Company (CIC), not a charity. That means 100% of the funds raised go straight to supporting children and families living with brain injuries.

This is our way of giving back, by not only helping Bailey on her journey, but also by hopefully giving another child suffering with a brain injury the chance to heal too.

Hi, I’m Michelle and this fundraiser is for my daughter, Bailey.

In 2017, Bailey was just 7 when she suffered a traumatic brain injury that turned her world upside down.

Before her injury, she was a county-level gymnast and cheerleader, confident, full of life, and thriving. While Bailey didn’t lose her ability to walk or talk, she did have to relearn fine motor skills and how to hold a pen again. Through years of determination, she’s now doing brilliantly in school.

But the emotional and social effects of her injury still cause her daily distress.

She struggles to express her feelings. She sees the world in black and white, and becomes deeply confused or upset when things feel unfair or unpredictable. Even everyday tasks like going into a shop are difficult, the idea of having to speak to a shop assistant is overwhelming. She avoids strangers, social interactions, and anything that might make her feel exposed or unsure.

Now for the first time, Bailey has been offered a space on the Changing Minds with Pick Up a Penny programme, a specialist initiative run by Dr Sara Young. Bailey is one of just five children offered a place to receive the targeted treatment they so desperately need and deserve to recover from brain injuries.

The programme uses innovative, trauma-informed and brain-based therapies including:

QEEG Brain Mapping

Neurofeedback and Biofeedback

Buteyko Breathing Techniques

Psychological & Behavioural Therapy

But Changing Minds with Pick Up a Penny is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and the treatment is not funded by the NHS. Changing Minds with Pick Up a Penny relies solely on fundraisers and donations, Bailey’s place is secure, but we want to raise over £18,000 to replenish the pot and we can’t do it alone.

£18,000 is what Changing Minds With Pick Up A Penny has allocated to Bailey for her treatment, if she needs anymore after that it will come out of the money we raise. If Bailey doesn't need anymore treatment it will go towards helping another child suffering from brain injury.

That’s why we’ve launched this appeal because we believe every child deserves a chance to heal.

Your donation will help fund:

Specialist brain and emotional therapies

Trauma-informed care

Travel and treatment expenses

Even the smallest gift could help unlock Bailey’s chance at emotional freedom and a future full of confidence, connection, and calm.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for caring.