Maciej’s Story

Maciej, born in Poland, was working as a tattoo artist in Blackpool when he had a hypoxic brain injury in 2020. It changed his life, separating him from his family for four years – until Brainkind helped them reunite.

Until his brain injury, Maciej regularly travelled back to Poland to visit his mum, siblings, and niece. After his brain injury, though, everything changed. 

The injury affected Maciej’s ability to remember details about his family, communicate, and speak English. He needed Polish-speaking staff to express his needs and had lost all his documentation – including his birth certificate and passport. 

The end of free movement between the UK and Europe in December 2020 further complicated his situation. The team at Brainkind helped Maciej apply for residency under the EU settlement scheme. But his lost ID delayed it significantly. This meant that he was not entitled to financial support, including basic welfare benefits. Maciej was left without resources to maintain contact with his family.  

Our team helped Maciej start his rehabilitation. But he remained anxious about his situation. He struggled to share information about himself. He had only kept in touch with one Polish friend in Blackpool. And, though she was a great source of comfort while he was getting to know his Brainkind support workers, he missed his family.  

The long road home

At Brainkind, we make sure that life after brain injury is a life well lived – whatever that means to each person we help. For Maciej, that meant seeing his family in Poland again. That was clear to our team. So, over the last two years, Team Leader Jackie and her colleague dedicated themselves to making it happen.  

They chased up his settlement application, obtained copies of Maciej’s birth certificate from Poland, applied for his passport, and secured benefits. At the same time, our Speech and Language team helped Maciej rehabilitate his communication skills and provided interpreters so he could tell us about his family. 

Because of that hard work, Brainkind was able to finally tell Maciej’s family where he was and what had happened to him. His sister told us: 

“I cried with joy. We are so proud of him.” 

“We are very happy that Maciej is with us again, even though he is far away”. 

In November 2024, everything was finally ready. Our team’s hard work, and Maciej’s dedication to recovery, paid off. Jackie, her colleague, and Maciej boarded a plane to Poland where he reunited with his family for the first time in four years.  

This trip was emotional for everyone. And the family were grateful to our staff for helping Maciej get back in touch after such a long time. Maciej was thrilled to meet with his extended family and attended his niece’s birthday party whilst there. 

United across borders  

Now, they stay in regular contact. Our team continues to help Maciej to live independently in one of our assisted living services. With Brainkind’s support, he has adopted a therapy cat – Cinders – and visited Poland by himself.  

Maciej said:

“I feel happier now I can speak with my family regularly and, although making the journey on my own was terrifying, I now know I can do this. I am looking forward to my sister and my niece coming to visit me in July.  

“I will be happy to show them Blackpool Pleasure Beach and, hopefully, the Lake District. I love my family.” 

We are proud to have been able to support Maciej to live with such resilience and joy after his brain injury. No one should have to face such a challenging life change alone. Whether that means navigating complicated legal systems, communicating through language and injury barriers, or just offering a kind hand – we’re there for everyone who’s impacted by brain injury. No matter what. 

If you’d like to find out more about Brainkind and our services, click here. 

If you’re interested in helping us to support people like Maciej, click here to explore our fundraising and volunteering opportunities.