Help Ben on his road to recovery
Donation protected
On the 2nd of January 2020, our lovely brother Ben was involved in a terrible moped collision whilst traveling with friends in Thailand. They were 6 days into their 2-month adventure across South East Asia when we got the life-altering phone call that sent our parents on an immediate 16hr flight to be by his side.
Ben suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was left fighting for his life in a coma, with a 30% chance of survival. Thanks to the quick thinking of his friends in getting him from a basic rural A&E department to a suitable hospital in Chiang Mai, surgeons were able to keep him alive.
Intensive care staff in Chiang Mai worked hard day and night to stabilize his condition. After 5 weeks and 7 major operations, Ben made the long journey home, via air ambulance, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
Ben remained in critical care for another 3 weeks before moving to the neurological ward where he underwent further treatment, tests and therapy. Despite having to overcome a serious chest infection, he started to open his eyes more and his level of consciousness slowly began to improve.
In April, Ben moved to a specialist NHS rehabilitation centre, Moseley Hall Hospital where he had a range of therapies and assessments. Unfortunately, his stay there was only brief as he was rushed back to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 14th May for more surgery. Whilst there, Ben overcame another stay in intensive care with further infections and other setbacks. Though Ben deteriorated significantly, he eventually regained enough strength to return to Moseley Hall Hospital on the 29th of June where he is continuing his rehabilitation. His therapy team is currently working to improve his core strength, range of movement and communication.
Ben has always been a whirlwind of positive energy and enthusiasm, who makes everyone laugh so much it hurts! He recently graduated from Arts University Bournemouth with a degree in film production, and the goal of one day becoming an assistant director. Selected as a trainee for the British Film Institute future skills scheme, Ben has a burning passion for the film industry.
At just 22 years old, Ben has worked on several well-known films and TV series such as Solo: a Star Wars Story, Men In Black: International, The Witches, Spiderman: Far From Home and Doc Martin Series 9 to name just a few. We don't yet know how Ben’s injury will affect him, but doctors have said that the brain damage will be life-changing. He has a long journey ahead of him, though we are hopeful that, one day, he will be able to return to the career he loves.
Ben on a Star Wars set, shared with kind permission from LucasFilm.
Despite Ben’s enhanced travel insurance specifying cover for moped-related accidents, the insurance company will not cover his claim. The cost of Ben’s care in Thailand and the specialist air ambulance was £200,000. Although with the help of our extended family, we have managed to cover these costs; when Ben returns to the family home in Hereford, he will need several years of rehabilitation. Ben’s discharge home is currently planned for the end of September and to help give him the best possible recovery he will need therapies and equipment outside of the basic provisions funded by the government.
In response to many people who have kindly offered financial support, we have set up this fundraising page and would be very grateful for any donations. We understand that many people are going through financial uncertainty at the moment - so sharing this page would also be appreciated!
The target of £30,000 will contribute to some of the costs of ongoing rehabilitation and equipment. As Ben does not currently have capacity to manage his finances, a bank account has been opened by Ben’s Mum, Richmael Harrison, specifically for the purpose of this fundraiser. All funds raised will then be put into a personal injury trust fund for Ben which will be spent on his recovery and cannot be used in any other way. Below is an approximate estimation of the costs in the first year.
Therapies:
Neuro Physiotherapy: £75 per session X 3 = £225 per week
Hydrotherapy: £80 per session + £50 pool hire X 1 = £130 per week
Music Therapy: £60 per session X 1 = £60 per week
As well as other therapies
Annual total: £21,360
Equipment costs (eg tilt table and postural support equipment): £15,000
All of these therapies will help improve Ben’s cognition and physical strength, eventually we hope they will enable him to walk and effectively communicate again. In the future, it may well be appropriate for Ben to have further courses of intensive inpatient rehabilitation, the costs of which are very considerable. Future equipment needs will evolve in line with Ben’s improvement.
Ben is only able to have limited visiting at the moment, but we are grateful to the staff who support Ben and keep in contact with us. We know that it will be a long and slow process, but we are optimistic that his progress will continue.
Thank you so much for your support, generosity, and for taking the time to read this,
Meg and Izzy (Ben’s sisters)
Ben suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was left fighting for his life in a coma, with a 30% chance of survival. Thanks to the quick thinking of his friends in getting him from a basic rural A&E department to a suitable hospital in Chiang Mai, surgeons were able to keep him alive.
Intensive care staff in Chiang Mai worked hard day and night to stabilize his condition. After 5 weeks and 7 major operations, Ben made the long journey home, via air ambulance, to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
Ben remained in critical care for another 3 weeks before moving to the neurological ward where he underwent further treatment, tests and therapy. Despite having to overcome a serious chest infection, he started to open his eyes more and his level of consciousness slowly began to improve.
In April, Ben moved to a specialist NHS rehabilitation centre, Moseley Hall Hospital where he had a range of therapies and assessments. Unfortunately, his stay there was only brief as he was rushed back to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 14th May for more surgery. Whilst there, Ben overcame another stay in intensive care with further infections and other setbacks. Though Ben deteriorated significantly, he eventually regained enough strength to return to Moseley Hall Hospital on the 29th of June where he is continuing his rehabilitation. His therapy team is currently working to improve his core strength, range of movement and communication.
Ben has always been a whirlwind of positive energy and enthusiasm, who makes everyone laugh so much it hurts! He recently graduated from Arts University Bournemouth with a degree in film production, and the goal of one day becoming an assistant director. Selected as a trainee for the British Film Institute future skills scheme, Ben has a burning passion for the film industry.
At just 22 years old, Ben has worked on several well-known films and TV series such as Solo: a Star Wars Story, Men In Black: International, The Witches, Spiderman: Far From Home and Doc Martin Series 9 to name just a few. We don't yet know how Ben’s injury will affect him, but doctors have said that the brain damage will be life-changing. He has a long journey ahead of him, though we are hopeful that, one day, he will be able to return to the career he loves.
Ben on a Star Wars set, shared with kind permission from LucasFilm.
Despite Ben’s enhanced travel insurance specifying cover for moped-related accidents, the insurance company will not cover his claim. The cost of Ben’s care in Thailand and the specialist air ambulance was £200,000. Although with the help of our extended family, we have managed to cover these costs; when Ben returns to the family home in Hereford, he will need several years of rehabilitation. Ben’s discharge home is currently planned for the end of September and to help give him the best possible recovery he will need therapies and equipment outside of the basic provisions funded by the government.
In response to many people who have kindly offered financial support, we have set up this fundraising page and would be very grateful for any donations. We understand that many people are going through financial uncertainty at the moment - so sharing this page would also be appreciated!
The target of £30,000 will contribute to some of the costs of ongoing rehabilitation and equipment. As Ben does not currently have capacity to manage his finances, a bank account has been opened by Ben’s Mum, Richmael Harrison, specifically for the purpose of this fundraiser. All funds raised will then be put into a personal injury trust fund for Ben which will be spent on his recovery and cannot be used in any other way. Below is an approximate estimation of the costs in the first year.
Therapies:
Neuro Physiotherapy: £75 per session X 3 = £225 per week
Hydrotherapy: £80 per session + £50 pool hire X 1 = £130 per week
Music Therapy: £60 per session X 1 = £60 per week
As well as other therapies
Annual total: £21,360
Equipment costs (eg tilt table and postural support equipment): £15,000
All of these therapies will help improve Ben’s cognition and physical strength, eventually we hope they will enable him to walk and effectively communicate again. In the future, it may well be appropriate for Ben to have further courses of intensive inpatient rehabilitation, the costs of which are very considerable. Future equipment needs will evolve in line with Ben’s improvement.
Ben is only able to have limited visiting at the moment, but we are grateful to the staff who support Ben and keep in contact with us. We know that it will be a long and slow process, but we are optimistic that his progress will continue.
Thank you so much for your support, generosity, and for taking the time to read this,
Meg and Izzy (Ben’s sisters)
Organizer and beneficiary
Meg Harrison
Organizer
Richmael Harrison
Beneficiary
