Follow us: hu Improving life after brain injury Need to talk? 0808 800 2244 Donate Home About brain injury Individuals Brain injury and me Tracy Dickson Share your story Share your story with us to help others affected by brain injury Tracy Dickson One less thing to worry about For Tracy Dickson, Headway’s support was crucial when her 19-year-old son, Brandon, sustained a hypoxic brain injury following a series of epileptic seizures that resulted in a cardiac arrest. Brandon, who had lived with epilepsy since early childhood, had just completed an apprenticeship in business administration and was looking for work. “We woke up one night when we heard him having a seizure,” said Tracy. “We’d had this numerous times, but he went into a second seizure, then a third and he just kept having them. “Everything stopped; his heart, his breathing, his eyes faded. We literally watched him slip away. We had to resuscitate him and keep him going and just wait for the ambulance. I really thought they’d come and say they’d lost him, but they got him fit enough to take to hospital. After several weeks in intensive care, Brandon was transferred to Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, a 30-mile return journey for his family. “We were desperate to be with him,” Tracy continues. “To sit and hold his hand and let him know he wasn’t on his own. We didn’t know if he was aware of what was happening, but we didn’t want him to be scared.” The Covid pandemic meant Tracy and other family members had restricted visits. “That was the hardest. We were going to the hospital every day, but we could only visit for an hour at a time. We went up three or four times a day, backwards and forwards, to the hospital. I felt so scared and helpless.” Tracy applied to the Headway Emergency Fund for support with the family’s increasing travel costs. Brandon with his dog, Bruno “I wasn’t working at the time, so Headway was a massive help to be able to get us up there when we needed. You can’t put it into words how much it meant to us. It was amazing. It doesn’t take all the weight off your shoulders with everything you’re going through, but it was one less thing to worry about. It’s a massive thing when you don’t know which way to turn. Just to know there is something out there to give you that faith and hope that you’re not on your own. I can’t thank Headway enough. Brandon is making a slow recovery, but Tracy describes him as a ‘battler’. “He’s still with us and he’s fighting,” she said. “He has come a long way and he is improving but we’re on the edge of our seats all the time for a phone call to say something has happened. “It’s had such a massive impact on us and on Brandon more than anyone. There’s still a long way to go but he’s started to speak and recognise my voice. He’s having to learn everything all over again. “We feel like we lost our son last year, but we have a new Brandon back. We don’t know what his life would have been like, but this is the life he’s got now and we’re trying to be positive.” Back to stories index Headway Emergency Fund The Emergency Fund provides grants of up to £500 in the immediate aftermath of brain injury. Find out more Supporting you From local groups or branches, our Emergency Fund, Brain Injury Identity Card, helpline and much more, find out how Headway can support you after brain injury. Find out more Celebrating 10 years of the Headway Emergency Fund Headway is celebrating ten years of its Emergency Fund, which provides grants to families facing the immediate aftermath of brain injury. Find out more Friends of Headway Individual membership Join/Renew Contact Us t: 0115 924 0800 e: enquiries@headway.org.uk Help us improve life after brain injury. Donate Improving life after brain injury 0808 800 2244 Call our free helpline 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Or email helpline@headway.org.uk Join our online Community 27k Likes 25k Followers 3k Subscribers Privacy policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Accessibility Contact Us Resource centre Find a Headway Approved care providers Charity shops Fundraising comments, feedback and complaints Vacancies Join our mailing list Headway - the brain injury association is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity no. 1025852) and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (Charity no. SC 039992). Headway is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 2346893. © Copyright Headway 2021 - Site designed and developed by MEDIAmaker By clicking 'Accept All Cookies’ you agree to the storing of cookies on your device. This will help us to offer the best possible experience and develop more of the information you need. Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings