At the end of August 2018, my 12 year old brother Finn had a freak
accident falling off his bike and despite wearing a cycle helmet he sustained a severe concussion. After a few days in hospital all seemed well and he was discharged home but he soon began to rapidly deteriorate.

Over a short period of time Finn became so unwell that he
was unable to walk, talk, sit upright or even feed himself.
This was truly terrifying to see a normally fit and healthy child requiring full-time care.

Initially we accessed specialist medical input to provide a
diagnosis and saw a paediatric physiotherapist at a neurological rehabilitation unit  in Winchester. And so began months
of specialist physiotherapy where progress was painfully slow and emotionally exhausting.

We live in Lambourn, known as the “Valley of the Racehorse”
and are so lucky to have a specialist unit called Oaksey House located in the village. This facility is run by the charity ‘The Injured Jockeys Fund’ ( www.injuredjockeys.co.uk) and provides specialist rehabilitation treatment for physical and neurological injuries.  .

As part of Finn’s care we have been able to access neurological
 physiotherapy  at Oaksey House in  addition to his treatment in Winchester.  Being on our doorstep has meant that we do not
need to make the journey to Winchester as often and have also been able to access the specialist gym equipment when Finn wants -  this has dramatically helped in his overall recovery. The staff at Oaksey House have helped the whole family during what has been an exceptionally difficult and frightening time and Finn has met some
truly inspirational people, often with life changing injuries, who have
provided support to him.

Finn returned to school at the beginning of January 2019,
albeit for a few hours a day only. Whilst Finn is still having specialist
rehabilitation he is much better and getting stronger and fitter every day. He still has some challenges with his mobility but we are confident he is going in the right direction and we have been assured he will make a full recovery.

I am away at University but have seen the difference Oaksey House has made to Finn’s recovery and so decided that I would like to run the Brighton Marathon on Sunday April 14^th in aid
of ‘The Injured Jockeys Fund’.   I have been training for this since October and would appreciate any donations small or large. 

Thank you!