'My son was left brain-damaged from chicken pox - all parents should know the risks'

Smiling alongside his mum, 16-year-old Joshua looks the picture of health.

But when he was just two years old he caught chicken pox - and was so ill, doctors warned that he wouldn’t make it through the night.

While chicken pox is often seen as a mild childhood illness, it can lead to severe complications, hospitalisation and even death for some people.

It's an extremely contagious disease, caused by the varicella zoster virus. Up until now it hasn't been on the UK routine vaccination schedule, being seen as a childhood ‘rite of passage’.

But now health chiefs have decided to add the chicken pox vaccine to the existing combined measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) jab starting from January 2026.

It will be offered at GP practices to babies aged 12 and 18 months and is intended to protect against severe cases and complications of chicken pox, something which Judy welcomes.

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Recalling the day she realised her son was seriously ill, Judy told The Mirror: “He became unresponsive and was rushed to Addenbrooke's hospital where he was placed on life support and given a CT scan.

"We were told to prepare for him not making it through the night but somehow he did. Joshua was given intravenous anti-viral medication and diagnosed with varicella-zoster encephalitis.

“It was horrible seeing all the wires and tubes because he was so little and in the early stages we had no idea what was wrong with him. The presence of one persistent spot provided the probable cause and diagnosis of encephalitis - the weeks and months that followed were scary as we realised that things were not right.”

Joshua’s brother and sister had both had chicken pox and neither had been particularly unwell. "We assumed Joshua would follow the same path. But he developed encephalitis - a rare and serious neurological complication which causes inflammation of the brain," says Judy.

Thankfully, Joshua recovered and was able to go home, but his health problems didn't stop there.

After noticing that Josh wasn’t meeting developmental milestones, his parents took him to see a paediatric consultant who diagnosed him with a brain injury when he was four.

It’s affected his whole life - Joshua has complex speech and language disorder and can’t do typical teenage things like go out on his own or manage his money. However, he has found a hobby that has made all the difference to his life.

Aged eight, Joshua began spending time at his local Riding for the Disabled Association in Barrow, Bury St Edmunds, taking part in horse riding lessons which has given him independence, confidence and the chance to socialise with other young people.

Now that he’s older he volunteers for the charity, helping lead the horses during riding lessons and cleaning out the stables.

Judy recalls: “When Joshua started riding he instantly became happier and calmer, feeling a huge sense of belonging and being part of a team.

"When he grew too tall to continue riding the ponies, we knew it was essential that he still attended the RDA and continued to build on the incredible relationships and confidence he found there.

“As a SEND parent, life can be very difficult, full of battles and often lonely. The West Suffolk RDA has given me a place where I see my child achieving, where he is content and empowered and where life makes sense. The RDA and horse riding aren't just hobbies, they are a lifeline for so many and funding and volunteering are imperative to keeping the RDA operating.”

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