BRAIN INJURY TO MAKE VOWS Our magical Big Day we never thought would happen
stuck by him. She says there was never a moment she considered walking away.
But she admits: “The hardest thing was dealing with his change in personality. I found it hard to cope at the start.
“I felt it was so unjust that just because he got drunk and made a bad decision, it changed our lives. But my bad moments are nothing compared to what Campbell goes through.” Campbell is not fully aware how bad his brain injury is, but he is improving daily and he hopes soon to return to work.
Echoing Lucy’s fighting spirit he says: “One moment you’re at the top of the world, then a couple of days later you’re at the bottom and cannot stand your life.
“But it’s about trying to push past that and getting yourself some life. I had to do it all again. I even had to learn to brush my teeth. It feels very special every day when I do small things like that.
“The trauma team saved my life. I don’t remember any names or what they did, but I’m still alive, breathing and can walk.
“It’s shown me how important trauma care is. It can happen to anyone. Doesn’t matter what age, big or small, if you get a brain injury you could end up in my condition.” The couple, who live in Hornchurch, Essex, hope funds for Transform Trauma will help spare other patients the four-year battle Campbell endured.
The centre’s findings on everything from clotting blood to halting multiple organ failure provide guidance to trauma teams in Britain and across the world.
Up to 50 people a day in the UK die needlessly from trauma – yet it gets just one per cent of medical research funding.
The team are desperate for resources to research what can be done in the vital first minutes in the hope that recovery can not only be faster but also go further.
Lucy says: “If we can get Campbell to even 50 per cent of his old self, that would be fabulous. But I don’t think there’s enough research yet for that.”