'Brain injury stole my daughter'

The mother of a teenager who acquired a brain injury after a bout of Covid-19 says it changed life "pretty much overnight".

Adele Wilson-Hope, from Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, said her daughter Bella had been "perfectly healthy" until contracting the disease aged 17 in July 2022.

She got "progressively worse" over the following 10 months, until she was partly diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis - an inflammation of the brain.

Ms Wilson-Hope said: "She was exhausted, she'd have periods of being really confused, she developed facial paralysis, double vision and then ultimately in March 2023 she lost her ability to swallow."

She said Bella's personality changed overnight with her condition.

"I kept telling the consultant 'someone's stolen my daughter' and obviously we now know that was because of what was going on in her brain."

Ms Wilson-Hope said at one point the family did not know if Bella would survive, but thanks to the "great care" received at James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough, she started to make progress.

Bella had finished her first year of A-levels at college when she became unwell and after her diagnosis, the family were unsure where to turn to for support with her education.

The college said they were unable to meet her needs, while the council told her she would be unlikely to meet the Special Educational Needs threshold.

Ms Wilson-Hope said everything Bella had learnt up to the age of 17 "was still there" and her IQ was above average, but she struggled to retain new information.

A colleague suggested Ms Wilson-Hope contacted Matrix Neurological - a Stockton charity supporting children with brain injuries.

The organisation provided Bella with a "tailored learning plan" that the teen had been involved in developing.

Ms Wilson-Hope said it took into account the several hospital appointments she had to attend, as well as providing support to the whole family in understanding how to support Bella.

"It's given her a real sense of being normal," Ms Wilson-Hope said.

"She has been able to re-engage with learning in a way that suits her and it's just brought on her confidence so much - and being able to know how her new brain works."

Matrix Neurological has secured £250,000 to establish a specialised school for children with acquired brain injuries, which Bella will attend.

The funding, provided by the Postcode Innovation Trust, will enable the organisation to offer a specialised curriculum and training to help students regain independence.

Jan Rock, chief executive at Matrix Neurological, said: "This school is just the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term movement to improve the lives of child brain injury survivors across the area."

The new school is set to open its doors this year with capacity for 30 students, but it plans to expand its services in the future.