Sophie McKeown is one of over 2,000 people in Northern Ireland living with the long-term effects of brain injury.
The two-year-old from County Tyrone contracted a virus as a baby. This triggered an autoimmune reaction causing inflammation in her brain.
Her mother Fiona said she knew very little about the brain damage acquired before Sophie’s incident.
“She isn’t speaking yet, but she has just started walking which is a big milestone,” Fiona told BBC News NI.
New book is helping families like Sophie’s raise awareness and help others better understand brain damage.
Rua’s Sore Head tells the story of one of Santa’s reindeer who suffers from a brain injury.
It was written by Sarah Moon, a woman from County Fermanagh, whose son also suffers from a brain injury.
She said, “We all love having characters to relate to and I thought it would be great if a kid like mine had a character to relate to.
“Someone who had been through similar things but came out the other side.”
The Brain Injury Matters charity received money from the National Lottery Community Fund to create the book, which will be sent to NI schools.
Video reporter: Niall McCracken
