Sabrina Branwood raising money for sufferers of selective mutism

Sabrina Branwood with her nephew Theo

Sabrina Branwood, 35, from Rochdale is currently on a fundraising mission to raise money to help sufferers of selective mutism (SM).

Sabrina wants to raise the money not only to raise awareness of the condition but to also provide much needed training that isn’t available locally.

Speaking to Rochdale Online, Sabrina said: “Any money raised will go towards paying for some training that people can access to learn how to recognise and help somebody suffering from the condition. I'm trying to raise £2,000 so that we can organise as much training as possible for as many people as possible. Selective Mutism training is very specialist training and isn't available locally.”

Selective mutism is best described as a phobia of talking and is an anxiety disorder that affects thousands of children but is a condition that largely remains forgotten about with adults.

Sabrina has suffered with selective mutism since childhood with the disorder preventing her from speaking in certain social situations and to certain people.

“Having selective mutism has affected me greatly as it’s prevented me from taking part in so many of the things people do growing up and I've missed out on so much,” said Sabrina. “As I've got older it's got worse, meaning that I am unable to get a job - I struggle to develop relationships and feel extremely isolated. I struggle to communicate with new people and sometimes even people I know, so I require support to do a lot of things especially if they involve going out or meeting and communicating with others.”

Despite suffering from the condition, Sabrina has found help from the UK Selective Mutism charity, SMIRA and local charity, Rochdale and District Mind.

Sabrina added: “If it wasn't for becoming involved with the work of Rochdale and District Mind and the understanding and support I have received from the staff there as well as the support I receive online through SMIRA, I don't think I would be here right now.”

Sabrina now hopes that raising awareness of the condition will help other suffers find help and support.

She added: “I have had SM since I was very young and don't ever remember not struggling with communication, but it was not recognised until I was about 26 after a health worker working with me at the time by chance saw a documentary on SM and told me about it saying that it reminded her of me. Until this point I'd never heard of the condition and neither had any of my family, my GP or any of the other health professionals working with me.

"I've had to go online and research the condition and I've had to be the one printing off information and educating those working with me about the condition, especially as I'm older because many who are aware don't realise you don't grow out of the condition as you get older. When actually the opposite is true, it gets much worse especially as other conditions can develop as a result of having it so long such as depression and social anxiety.

"There are small amounts of training available in some parts of the country but many places, including Rochdale Council, do not send staff on this training. There is also a yearly selective mutism conference in Leicester, but when I asked once if my adult care worker could go to this to learn more about the condition, I was told Rochdale Council has a policy that they will no longer send staff to training outside of the area. This makes things very difficult for sufferers like myself because there is no such training in Rochdale that they can attend.

"The thing that motivates me is that if the condition is recognised early and treated, it can be overcome so sufferers don't have to go through what I've been though, that's why this training and raising awareness of the condition is so important.”

To donate to Sabrina’s cause visit: 

https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sabrina-branwood