Parents call for help for brain-injured daughter

A family is calling for greater support to help care for their 18-year-old daughter after she suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest which left her with serious brain damage.

Rubie Boyton's mother and stepfather have given up their jobs to become her full-time carers since she returned home in Ashford, Kent, in December after 18 months in hospital.

Her stepfather, Simon Head, said: "More physiotherapy would be fantastic for Rubie and access to other forms of help."

A spokesperson from East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are always happy to meet patients or their families to discuss any issues and see if we can identify improvements or learn from their experiences."

On 11 May 2024, when Rubie was 16, she suffered a ventricular fibrillation, due to a rare cardiac condition, and she developed dystonia, where muscles in the body contract involuntarily, meaning the brain was deprived of oxygen for 31 minutes.

She had a hypoxic ischemic brain injury and is now unable to walk, talk, eat, drink, move voluntarily or sit unaided.

Head says having a child critically ill is "the most horrible feeling you could ever get as a parent".

He said: "Since we've been home in December we have had three visits from a physio."

Head explained: "We have had to pay for private physios because we're not getting anywhere near the support Rubie needs."

A fundraiser was set to help support the family, including with their plans to extend their home to support Rubie.

With volunteers and donations they built Rubie a specialised bedroom, a wet room and patio.

Dan Boalch, from Prestige Property Solutions, who has been doing renovations to help those in need since 2020, said: "Anyone can help if you put your hand to it.

"If what we do gives them temporary relief, or takes a bit of stress off their backs, that's amazing."

A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals says: "We are pleased to hear Rubie has been making progress at home with her family and understand their concerns about her therapy."

The trust said it was unable to comment on physiotherapy provision since Rubie's discharge from hospital.

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