His dad’s car had been hit by a lorry. Luckily dad escaped with minor injuries but Mikail suffered fractures to his face, eye sockets and ribs. What rang the biggest alarm bells were fractures to his skull. These were causing pressure to build up inside his head which, we know, can lead to severe brain injury.
Mikail had a bolt inserted into his brain to monitor the pressure but when it continued to build, he was rushed into surgery. Surgeons removed portion of Mikail’s skull to relief the pressure. It is called a bi-frontal de-compressive craniectomy, a life-saving procedure.
Mikail had survived and he was stable. But he couldn’t walk. His parents sat at his bedside, wondering if he’d ever be able to do something we all take for granted: simply to put one foot in front of the other.
After ten weeks in hospital, Mikail could take a few steps if supported. But specialist rehabilitation was his best chance to do what he wanted most: to walk again. So the family was overjoyed that The Children’s Trust were taking referrals despite COVID-19, and Mikail arrived here at our specialist centre of excellence in December 2020.
Leaving hospital felt like a big step into the unknown. Mikail was still a million miles away from the boy he used to be. And Ro was desperate for her son to reach his goal of walking.
Just weeks later, as you can see in the pictures, our team helped Mikail to take his first independent steps… to what is an incredible recovery. It was a huge team effort, bringing together therapists, innovative equipment and the kind support of people like you.
