Supporting Action For Brain Injury Week Following Discharge From Court Of Protection

A woman who was told she would never work, drive or be a mother following a car accident as a child has now rebuilt her life and gone on to prove the medical experts wrong.

Rebecca Gilmore was just 11-years-old when she was knocked down by a people carrier close to her family home in Ramsbottom.  She was rushed to hospital, having sustained two bleeds on her brain and three skull fractures, and was placed on a life support machine for three days.

Rebecca dropped out of mainstream education, and her brain injury was diagnosed five years later following a scan.

Her family approached law firm Irwin Mitchell, and Serious Injury lawyer Matthew Brown conducted a personal injury claim on her behalf and reached an impressive settlement.

Specialists at Irwin Mitchell supported Rebecca during her rehabilitation and, at the age of 21, she was placed under the Court of Protection to take care of her property and affairs while she was undergoing intensive treatment.

Now at the age of 28, Rebecca has now made such a good recovery she has been discharged from Court of Protection care, and despite being told she would never be mentally well enough to have her own child, she is mother to six-year-old Jacob.  She was also advised she would never be able to drive or work, but has been driving for three years and was formerly employed as a carer.

Expert Opinion

“Rebecca’s brain injury left her with severe cognitive difficulties and personality disorder, and she struggled to stay in mainstream school.

After contacting us, Rebecca was assessed and due to her significant brain injury was confirmed as lacking capacity to manage her property and affairs, so she was placed under Court of Protection care to help her.

After several years of intense rehabilitation and treatment, Rebecca has been now re-evaluated and it is evident how much progress she has made.

I’ll never forget how happy she and her son were when they moved into their first house together and had a place to call home. At that point it became clear how far she had come.

I’m excited to see what the future holds for such an incredible woman, and I feel honoured to have been part of her journey.”
Sally Murphy - Senior Associate Solicitor

Alongside Irwin Mitchell, Rebecca is supporting this year’s Action For Brain Injury Week, organised by Headway.  It is running from 20 to 26 May, with a theme of ‘Brain Drain – Wake Up To Fatigue!’ and is focusing on the after effects of a brain injury, particularly the debilitating and stigmatising effects of fatigue.

Rebecca finds that she suffers from brain injury-related fatigue regularly, which is worsened by the fact she is a young mother, and she also struggled with the demands of working as a carer for dementia and stroke patients in 2017.

Rebecca, who lives in Bury with Jacob, said: “From the age of 11 to 16, I felt lost.  I didn’t know what had happened and I hadn’t been told I had brain injuries.  I was trying to find myself but I couldn’t.

“After contacting Irwin Mitchell, they supported me and guided me along the way.  The main factors that helped with my recovery were the team around me – my solicitor, my case manager – and my strength and determination.

“I’m no longer working as a carer and I’m still coming to terms with how I can make my life as normal as possible, as my brain injury does still affect me in some ways.

“But I’m so happy that I was given my capacity back last year and I am slowly getting to grips with handling and managing my properties – one I live in and one I rent out.  I am also looking into opening up my own little business in the future; I just need to find my feet and see what the potential market is out there.

“In the meantime, I am just enjoying spending time with Jacob and my family and friends.”

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling Court of Protection cases