2017 was a life changing year for Darren*. A normal day in the summer quickly turned sour when an innocent fall down his stairs resulted in a brain injury.

Darren* was treated at his local hospital, where he had his bone flap and left temporal haematoma removed.

After over a year of recovery in hospital, Darren* moved into one Woodlands of our brain injury services in Middlesbrough.

“When Darren* first moved into the service, he was in a wheelchair,” said Anthea, service manager.

“He was constantly in pain.”

The team at our services catered to Darren’s* individual needs and arranged for a high/low bed to be set up in his room.

“The bed was equipped with crash mats and had the flexibility to go both up and down when necessary,” added Anthea, who has worked for Voyage Care for over 10 years.

Darren* was unable to complete any aspects of daily life, including taking control of his personal hygiene. Along with this, his sustained brain injury also meant he had both poor long term and short term memory.

Not long after Darren* moved into the service, he had set himself a goal of moving back to his own home and increasing his independence – and his support team were right behind him.

With support from staff, a therapy coordinator, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist, Darren* slowly began to walk with his walking aid and gradually increased his distance on a weekly basis. Before he knew it, Darren* was walking around the home on a daily basis which boosted his self-esteem.

“Darren* started to walk, everywhere! He was actually nicknamed Usain Bolt because he was constantly on the move,” said Anthea.

A few years on, and Darren* is a different person. He has the full support of his family, who are amazed at how far he has come.

“It’s so nice to hear the lovely comments from his friends and family about how proud they are of him and how blown away they are about his achievements. Darren* still has a little way to go but I’m positive that with the tenacity he has, he will get to where he wants to be,” said Anthea.

“Darren* has proven to everyone that through sheer determination, working with his support team, you can achieve great things,” added Anthea.

*Some details have been changed for confidentiality reasons.