Where it started
Nick Godbehere and his wife Kerry were celebrating their wedding anniversary in Leeds, in August 2019, when they received a call saying their children had been admitted to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) following a crash in their grandfather’s car on the outskirts of Scarborough.
Nick and Kerry immediately rushed to the hospital where daughter Emma, then nine, and Charlie, 10, were receiving urgent medical care. Charlie had been airlifted to hospital due to the severity of his injuries and Emma was taken by ambulance. Sadly, Nick’s father had passed away at the scene of the incident.
Charlie had suffered serious injuries. He was operated on within five hours of the incident and put in an induced coma to reduce the risk of shock. Over the next nine days, while in a coma, he had two further surgeries to patch up his abdominal area. Charlie needed 11 operations in total by the expert paediatric team at LGI.
Emma only had minor injuries but was traumatised by the incident. She was discharged three days later and went to stay with her grandparents, so that Nick and Emma could stay close to Charlie.
Support from Day One
Nick heard about the support available from Day One by Case worker Justin Phelps.
“When Justin mentioned that we could get some financial help it sounded too good to be true. Emma had been admitted to hospital without any shoes as they’d come off in the crash and Charlie needed adult-sized clothes because of his injuries. It was an expense we could do without. The money from Day One made such a huge difference.” said Nick.
Day One also put Nick in touch with their legal team who were able to provide advice on their insurance claim.
Nick and Kerry say that the care and support provided by Day One was invaluable to the family in the aftermath of the accident.
“Everyone at Day One is so helpful. They also have lots of knowledge about where to go for extra support.”
A remarkable recovery
Charlie was discharged two months after first being admitted. When he first returned home, Charlie slept in a bed in the dining room, using a commode during the night, as getting up and down the stairs to the bathroom was difficult due to his injuries.
He required physiotherapy three times a week initially, to help build the muscles in his legs and abdomen.
Both Charlie, Emma and Nick have received counselling funded through the insurance pay out which has helped them to process the traumatic event.
“Although he’s never going to be quite the same, Charlie’s getting better physically day by day; he’s gradually regaining the strength in his legs and stomach and can now almost stand up straight. He’s made a remarkable recovery."
After 11 operations and a lot of support, Charlie has made a remarkable recovery.
More stories
Regaining my independence
Recovering from trauma
My road to recovery
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