Holly Martin

Holly is 20 and lives on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. When she was 15, a horse riding accident left her with a traumatic brain injury, and she spent around a year and a half at Bristol Children’s Hospital as part of her neuro rehabilitation. Holly is now a wheelchair user and lives with aphasia, which affects her speech, and dystonia, which causes pain and muscle spasticity.

To manage her dystonia, Holly needed Botox injections every three months, treatment that was not available in Cornwall at the time. Every round meant a journey to Bristol, and as Holly moved from children’s to adult services, keeping that treatment regular became a struggle.

Neil, who knows the condition well, stepped in. He introduced the family to a neurologist in Bristol who could see Holly more often, and offered to fund the treatment privately if the NHS could not provide it. “He suggested the right links and the people to talk to, and things fell into place,” said Helen. “Knowing that if we could not get this achieved through the NHS, we could still organise it and support Holly in the best way possible, that was really valuable. It was huge to have someone listening.”

“In the end, he did not need to help us financially at all,” said Helen. “It was that pushing forwards and talking to the right people that progressed us.” With STAND FOR’s backing behind the family, the NHS stepped in. Holly’s injections were arranged closer to home, her own physiotherapist trained to deliver them in Cornwall, and the NHS took note that a teenager had been travelling to Bristol every few months for treatment. More physiotherapists across Cornwall have since been trained, and new clinics set up. “The knock-on effect is that it has not just helped Holly,” said Helen.

“Hope and support, really,” said Helen. “Knowing that we have someone we can ask for help. I know they cannot say yes to everybody, but it was so considered and thoughtful. And Neil came to meet us at a disability cricket event, so we have that personal contact as well.”