A North East mum whose son suffered a life changing brain injury due to negligent maternity care is backing a campaign to protect the law on compensation for personal injury victims.
Kayleigh Cockburn’s son Charlie has cerebral palsy affecting all four limbs after a catalogue of errors meant he was starved of oxygen at birth, and will require care for the rest of his life.
Now Kayleigh, aged 38, has spoken in a moving short film produced by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) for its Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign.
The campaign highlights the importance of the law so victims of negligence like Charlie can receive the compensation they desperately need to rebuild their lives after suffering catastrophic injuries.
Kayleigh, from Morpeth in Northumberland, said: “It’s shocking how many times they should have saved Charlie, and didn’t.
“When I was told he had irreversible brain damage, it made me feel like I was going to die. I could not speak. I was absolutely distraught.”
She added: “After Charlie was born, for two years I did not leave the house. I was at rock bottom. I did not really speak to my family. I just went in on myself. I could not bring myself to say the words cerebral palsy.”
In the film Kayleigh says she was “carefree” and so looking forward to being a mum, and welcoming her baby into the world. But the birth turned into a nightmare due to negligent maternity care.
Kayleigh fights back tears in the film as she explains they have taken away “the life that he was meant to have”.
She had to give up her job as a support worker to look after Charlie full time, including carrying out intensive physiotherapy with him to straighten his limbs so he could walk.
“He has defied the odds. He has done so well. He was not meant to do any of the things that he is doing,” she says.
Today Charlie is aged 11 and is a “kind, caring and funny youngster”, who likes playing on his skateboard. “He is 100 miles per hour but his body can’t always catch up all of the time, which is really sad,” she said.
APIL’s chief executive Mike Benner said: “Kayleigh and Charlie’s generosity in sharing their story is a huge boost to this campaign. Their film, Charlie’s Story, shows very clearly why victims of terrible, avoidable negligence must be front and centre of any policymaking which may affect them. It’s crucial that the law on compensation is protected, so that it is there for when any of us need help and support. Without it, Charlie would not be doing so well at all, and his family would face a future of gut-wrenching uncertainty.”
Kayleigh says it is vital that parents who feel they have been the victims of negligent maternity care get independent legal advice from a lawyer.
“I would say to mums that you have got a voice. If you think something is wrong then get a second opinion; insist on it,” she said.
Charlie’s Story was released last month and has already been viewed more than two million times on social media and can be viewed here.
APIL is a not-for-profit campaign organisation made up of lawyers who are committed to protecting the rights of victims of negligence. Rebuilding Shattered Lives is APIL’s flagship campaign and tells the true stories of people injured due to negligence. It aims to dispel the misconceptions about personal injury claimants and their representatives.