Business leader Bill Scott – one of our generous patrons – is pictured on a visit to Matrix Neurological after they used our £500 donation to buy brain games and children’s rehab items.
Innovative Middlesbrough-based charity Matrix provides neurological rehab and support services to children who’ve suffered brain injuries.
Any post-birth damage caused to a healthy brain, an acquired brain injury is the biggest cause of death and disability in children and young people – and yet it is the least supported, least recognised and least understood disability.
That means the complex needs of thousands of children are often unmet.
Founder Jan Rock – pictured with Bill – has first-hand experience of child brain injury and the complex ongoing effects that influence everyday life.
In 2010, her 16-year-old son sustained poly-trauma injuries, which included a severe brain injury. She was advised that he would never recover and to prepare herself for the very worst, but Jan knew that her son was a fighter and together they didn’t give up.
Having discovered there were no appropriate support systems to meet his neurological rehab needs and support his ongoing recovery, determined Jan devised a programme of rehab that quickly delivered astonishing results that surprised even his doctors.
Her son, who she was advised would never walk or talk, is now at university thanks to Jan’s determination and his hard work!
Jan’s charity Matrix Neurological now support children in activities to help with their rehab and allow them to relearn skills such as walking, talking and feeding themselves.
They prioritise children who come from families unable to pay for neurorehabilitation – and currently support more than 30 families with varying needs.
