Laura's Recovery

For anyone who doesn’t know Laura she is a strong, determined young woman who puts everything she has into the things she loves. Whether it’s her horses, dogs or family and friends, she always gives her all, in all aspects of life. Leading a fit and healthy life where her passion for horses has seen her compete across the UK in numerous Showjumping events. Her love of dogs sparked an opportunity to turn another passion into a business where she setup and runs her own dog grooming salon, Maple Barns Dog Grooming. We have been together for almost 15 years and both excited for the future expecting our first child in 2024.

In December 2023 Laura became unwell resulting in a serious brain injury. Laura was diagnosed with Acute Hemorrhagic Leucoencephalitis (AHLE), a very rare form of ADEM which is an inflammatory disease of the brain. At this point Laura was 7 months pregnant.

The decision was made on Christmas Eve to deliver our baby 10 weeks early whilst Laura was in an induced coma due to the seriousness of her condition.

Thankfully our daughter Esme was born without any complications and has grown since into the perfect bundle of joy we all hoped for. Laura was transferred from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to Addenbrookes Hospital to give her the best chance of survival.

After the treatment at Addenbrookes Laura was transferred back to Norwich to start her rehabilitation journey where, after some time at the hospital, she was transferred to the Coleman Centre, a facility which specialises in rehab for Laura’s condition. Laura is now tackling a long rehabilitation programme. The damage to her brain means Laura can no longer care for herself, and as I write this, she is unable to speak, move unaided or feed herself. She requires 24 hour care and assistance. We hope Laura has the strength to recover and as a family we are there to support her every step of the way.

As a family, we have decided to set up this page to fund the resources Laura requires when she comes home to continue her rehab. The money raised will contribute to numerous aspects of Lauras journey including adaptations to the house allowing Laura to have the space she needs to access and live in her home environment. A specialist vehicle to allow us to get Laura to her rehab sessions at the hospital as well as getting her out of the house to visit her horses, family and friends. It will also assist with the needs of raising our daughter whilst adapting to this massive change in our lives.

We know the road is long and hard, but we appreciate the family, friends, work colleagues and well-wishers who surround us. We couldn’t do this without all of the love and support that we are receiving.

We really do appreciate it.

Howard, Laura & Esme