Hi, my name is Scott, and I’m trying to raise funds to help support Mel’s recovery and stop our family from losing everything while we navigate the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury.

On Saturday 16th May, our lives changed from a simple, everyday accident.

While at a friend’s house, Mel bent down to grab our toddler’s drink from beneath a heavy railway sleeper table. In a split second, what should have been a completely ordinary moment turned into something that has shaken our entire family.

The following day, after her symptoms rapidly worsened, Mel was taken to hospital by ambulance and diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome.

Since then, the woman I know as my bright-eyed girl — the fiercely caring, creative, stubborn, endlessly giving person who would fight the world for the people she loves — has become almost completely bedridden.

She is struggling daily with severe dizziness, memory issues, double vision, exhaustion, weakness, confusion, and difficulty walking even short distances. Sometimes she mixes words and sentences together or talks complete nonsense without realising. Watching someone so strong suddenly need help just to walk ten steps to the bathroom has been one of the hardest things I have ever witnessed.

Mel is a self-employed tattoo artist, meaning if she cannot work, there is no sick pay or safety net. I am an HGV driver, but I have also had to stop work in order to care for Mel properly and look after our children, Lilith (3) and Tye (15). Between school runs, monitoring medication, caring for Mel, and trying to keep life stable for the kids, working is practically impossible at the moment. 

Doctors initially hoped that 7–10 days of strict rest would show improvement, but we have now reached that point with little to no progression. We are beginning to face the frightening reality that recovery may take far longer than expected. We have since learned that people with ADHD can sometimes take longer to recover from this type of brain injury, and similar cases can take many months before life begins to feel normal again.

The financial impact has hit us incredibly hard and incredibly fast.

Over the next month alone, we expect to lose between £4,500–£6,000 in income, while all of life’s normal responsibilities continue:

• Rent and household bills

• Food and essentials for the children

• Fuel and travel costs

• Medication and recovery support

• Childcare and daily care needs

• Existing financial pressures and debts

• Loss of earnings while we are both unable to work

• Additional recovery costs including specialist pillows, bedding, and equipment to help keep Mel as comfortable as possible while she heals

Anyone who knows Mel knows she is always the first person to help somebody else. Asking for help like this is something that feels deeply uncomfortable for both of us, but right now we genuinely need support to get through this period without everything collapsing around us while she focuses on healing.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small, it would help more than we can ever properly express. And if donating is not possible, simply sharing this fundraiser could still make an enormous difference to our family.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping us hold things together while Mel fights to recover.

— Scott, Mel, Lilith & Tye