When Amanda and Jamie Clayton’s daughter Sophie experienced a stroke at just four years old, their family’s lives changed forever.
Now, more than 14 years later, they’re sharing their story in a new Children’s Health Queensland podcast to help other families navigating life and mental health after childhood brain injury.
Launched during Mental Health Month, Beyond a Brain Injury explores the emotional impact of acquired brain injury (ABI), bringing together the Clayton family’s lived experience and expert insights from Queensland Children’s Hospital clinicians.
The two-part series follows the family’s journey from the initial shock and uncertainty of Sophie’s diagnosis through to rehabilitation, returning home and adjusting to a new normal.
For Amanda and Jamie, recovery involved much more than supporting Sophie’s physical rehabilitation. It meant navigating changes in family relationships, finding new ways to support each other and learning to recognise their own mental health needs.
Now a university student who has learned to drive, Sophie continues to achieve milestones her family once feared may not be possible.
Through candid conversations, Amanda and Jamie reflect on the challenges, unexpected moments and lessons that have shaped their family’s journey, sharing a message of hope for others facing similar experiences.
Alongside their story, the podcast features Queensland Children’s Hospital clinicians offering practical advice for navigating grief, managing difficult emotions, supporting siblings and looking after parental mental health.
The series explores two important stages of recovery:
Episode 1: When everything changes – navigating the initial shock, uncertainty and emotional impact of a child’s brain injury while supporting your mental health.
Episode 2: Finding a new normal – preparing for discharge, adjusting to life at home and navigating the ongoing mental health and emotional challenges of recovery.
Listen to Beyond a Brain Injury
Read Sophie’s story or listen to the podcast version.
The podcast is an initiative of Children’s Health Queensland’s Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (SHARE project), supported by funding from the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ).
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