Family Supporting Action For Brain Injury Week Campaign

A mother from Wakefield who suffered brain damage following hospital failings in childbirth is starting to show signs of recovery five years on from the traumatic incident.

Lucy Cookson was just 22 when she suffered a massive post-partum haemorrhage after daughter Millie was born at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield on New Year’s Eve 2013.  She was rushed to theatre where she underwent surgery under a spinal anaesthetic, instead of a general anaesthetic, and suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedure.  Her brain was starved of oxygen and Lucy was left in a coma for almost a month.

Lucy was left severely disabled and spent three years in Dearnevale Rehabilitation Unit, while her husband Adam and parents Bev and Andrew Schofield worked on adapting her home, and specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell successfully secured a lifetime care and rehabilitation package from the Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust to fund the long-term care she requires.

This came after investigations into the incident discovered a catalogue of errors by staff and the failure to monitor Lucy correctly during her pregnancy.

Expert Opinion

“This was a tragic case which had a huge effect on Lucy, Millie and the rest of their family, however it is great to hear that Lucy is beginning to make a recovery.

As part of Action For Brain Injury Week we need to make sure that people with brain injuries are given the support they need to live as independently as possible whether that is therapies, rehabilitation, adaptations to the home or specialist equipment such as computers, tablet devices and wheelchairs.”
Rachelle Mahapatra - Partner

With Lucy now starting to show signs of recovery, her family are keen to support Headway’s Action For Brain Injury Week ‘Brain Drain: Wake Up To Fatigue!’ campaign, which is running from May 20 to May 26.

Lucy now lives at home full time, and has done for the last 19 months.  Her mum Bev said: “Lucy has started to recover a bit.  She is still blind and unable to swallow, but she has started to say a few words and is more responsive.  Her Music Therapy at Second Chance Headway at Pinderfields has helped with this.

“We have also adapted the house to make living here easier for Lucy, and she has access to all the facilities and equipment she needs with thanks to the settlement received.”

This year’s Action For Brain Injury Week will be focusing on the debilitating and stigmatising effects of fatigue after brain injury, and Bev explained that this is something that her daughter suffers from. 

She said: “Lucy is affected by fatigue a lot since her brain injury.  Obviously it has a huge effect on us too, but that’s what we are here for and we will help her every step of the way.”

Fatigue is a common side effect of sustaining a brain injury, and in moderate to severe cases this can affect a person on a day-to-day basis by impacting on their ability to undertake tasks and activities.  It can also affect the recovery process in some people, and Headway’s Brain Drain campaign aims to give a voice to those affected by helping to raise awareness and break the stigma of brain injury-related fatigue.

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