A MOTHER has told of her struggle to care for her son who was brain damaged in a serious accident.

Arlette Foster, 70, is still haunted by the night 23 years ago that her daughter woke her with the shocking news that Philip had been in a bad car crash.

He had been out celebrating his 21st birthday with friends in 1995 when the car he was travelling in hit a tree and he was thrown from it. He suffered a brain injury which was so severe he was put into an induced coma.

His family were warned there was little hope of Philip surviving.

Arlette, from Uckfield, said: “It was a very difficult time as we had no one to turn to and the medical staff didn’t understand as they informed me they were not trained in problems faced by carers of brain injury.”

Philip did survive and, with the help of his family who played a very active role in his rehabilitation, he learned to walk and talk again.

The medical teams looking after him at the time described his recovery as miraculous.

Arlette said her son, however, was not the same young man when he returned home and the lack of staff trained to help those caring for someone suffering from a brain injury made things tough.

He had suffered extensive frontal lobe damage and had changed from a “bright, happy, fun-loving 21-year-old” into “an aggressive young man who had difficulty controlling his anger, cognitive functioning difficulties and a lack of insight”.

She said: “He was just discharged from hospital and we had to get on with it. The services to help families like ours were just not around back then.”

Arlette was thankful to come across Headway East Sussex, an organisation that offers rehabilitation and support services for people with acquired brain injuries, their families and carers.

She said: “When I discovered Headway East Sussex, I knew I wanted to help them to make sure families didn’t go through what we did.

“I wanted to change a negative experience into something positive – by using the understanding that I’ve gained, I knew I could help other people.”

Drawing on her experiences caring for Philip, Arlette set up Headway East Sussex’s Hospital Liaison Service team in Haywards Heath.

The team, which operates a weekly drop-in clinic at Princess Royal Hospital, gives brain injury survivors and their families an opportunity to talk to someone who really understands what is happening to them and offers advice and support.

Arlette said: “I’m very passionate about the service because I feel I can have a clear impact in helping people. As a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist I can recognise when people are at a point of crisis and refer them on for professional help where necessary. It is very rewarding.

“Philip’s miraculous recovery, with Headway’s help is more led me to becoming a volunteer as Headway were the only people who offered us any support after ten years of us supporting our son’s recovery alone. “

Arlette, who has volunteered for Headway for 15 years, has been shortlisted for the national Volunteer of the Year Award.