Help Katie Move Back Home After Traumatic Brain Injury

Hi, my name is Mark, and I am fundraising on behalf of my wife, Katie. We need help to cover the cost of accessible home improvements, which will make it possible for Katie to live at home again after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

Three years ago, in June 2022, Katie had an accident. Katie left the house early to go to the yard where she kept her horse. She was alone at the yard, so we don’t know exactly what happened. Katie was found later that morning, face down on the ground with a bent metal gate on top of her and her horse wandering free nearby. She had suffered a serious brain injury and was not conscious. We think she was alone on the floor for around 45 minutes. Paramedics came by ambulance and a doctor by helicopter. They stabilised Katie and she was taken to hospital where she had emergency surgery and was admitted to the Critical Care Unit. Katie did not wake up for a month.

Katie has been in hospitals and care homes since her accident. It has been a long journey of recovery with many ups and downs. Brain injuries are complex. Everyone is different, and there is no way to predict how or whether you will recover. The last three years have been full of uncertainty and really hard for Katie, for me and our children.

Initially we didn’t know if Katie would survive the injury & surgery. For the first month we didn’t know if she would wake up. That month seemed to go on forever. Further surgery followed, with complications and readmission to Critical Care. Then the long, slow process of allowing the brain and body to heal itself. Katie was not able do anything for herself. She could not talk, eat or drink, and was fed through a tube. She had to be hoisted out of bed to sit up for short periods of time.

Recovery was not straight forward or linear. There were ups and downs. Every small improvement was a moment to celebrate, every setback was devastating. The first 12 months were the worst. Katie has had to cope with a lot. After six months, Katie had to be put on 24-hour 1-to-1 care which continued for another 6 months. It seemed every time we got past one problem another would pop up. It was hard. Really hard. We were told that Katie may not get any better. That she might need to spend the rest of her life in care. But Katie carried on fighting and continued on her slow steady recovery that is still going today.

Slowly over time Katie has built up her strength and re-learned how to do things that previously she took for granted. After one year, Katie was able to talk a little, was starting to eat and drink under supervision and could sit in a chair for an hour or two. After two years Katie was starting to stand with support and take a couple of steps to move from bed to wheelchair. After three years Katie is now able to walk short distances with a walking frame.

Before her accident, Katie was very active, hard-working and sociable. She was self-employed, working in communications and PR. She liked nothing more than spending time with friends, family and animals. We loved going to concerts and festivals and were due to go to Glastonbury a couple of weeks after her accident. This is a picture of Katie before her accident:

I am glad to say that following her accident, Katie is exactly the same. She is still as sociable as she ever was, loves being with people and animals, would love to work again one day, and is keen to go to any concert or festival that she can. We obviously did not go to Glastonbury two weeks after her accident, but we did make it there last year in 2024. Taking Katie there was very hard work but was well worth it. Being able to do the normal things in life, like being with family, going shopping or occasionally out to dinner makes such a difference for Katie, and encourages her to work hard in her therapy sessions to continue her recovery. She still gets tired very easily, forgets things that have literally just happened, is in pain most of the time and gets confused very easily. All of that is still improving, but slowly.

The one thing that has kept Katie going through all this time is the thought that she will eventually be able to move back home to be with her family. I have visited Katie pretty much every day for the past three years, and in the last year have been bringing her home for visits as often as possible. She is well looked after at her care home, and the therapy she is being given while there is absolutely amazing. The aim though is to eventually move home, and the more Katie recovers, the closer we get to this being possible. However, to make this happen we first need to make some changes to our house.

To make it possible for Katie to move home we need to:

• Convert a downstairs room to be an accessible bathroom. Katie is currently unable to have a shower or bath at home. The bath will need to include some type of hoist or lift to help Katie get in and out.

• Remove some internal walls and widen door frames. It is hard for Katie to navigate around narrow corridors in a wheelchair, and impossible to access some rooms. Removing walls and widening door frames will make it possible for Katie to move around easily.

• Moving the location of the stairs and front door will also further improve access around the house in a wheelchair, allowing Katie to be more independent.

• Level access to the front door and out to the back garden would be good to have. We currently use a temporary fold out metal ramp to get up the step to the front door.

Just to make those changes is likely to be in the region of £40,000, possibly more. There are then other knock-on changes that we will need to make to other areas of the house impacted by the work, which will add further costs. Possibly another £20,000 - £40,000.

So, this is where you come in.

We would like to ask for your help to raise as much as we can to cover the building costs. Anything you can afford will mean a great deal and will help us make the accessible home improvements needed for Katie to move home.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could also help spread the word about our fundraiser on social media or by reaching out to anyone who might be able to support our cause. Rest assured, we'll keep you updated on our progress and milestones through regular updates on our page.

Thank you!