'Chickenpox destroyed my son's childhood – parents should think twice before deciding not to vaccinate their children'

A mother whose son's childhood has been "destroyed" after he contracted chickenpox twice leading to a brain injury and "lifelong disabilities", is urging parents to reconsider before deciding against vaccination.

Rebecca Homewood, 49, and her husband Jason, 52, who live just outside of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, described their son Tom as an "outgoing" and "effervescent" boy who enjoyed "everything about school life".

However, three days after contracting chickenpox, just prior to his sixth birthday, his temperature soared above 42 degrees, he had a seizure, and he later began slurring his speech.

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After numerous tests at the hospital, Tom was finally diagnosed with myasthenia gravis a condition that causes muscle weakness in April 2018, along with encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, as an autoimmune response to the varicella-zoster virus (chickenpox).

Just one year later, Tom contracted chickenpox again, which initially seemed mild, but after he started experiencing hallucinations "seeing monsters" and showing signs of psychosis, he was referred to Evelina London Children's Hospital for further investigations.

Tom was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis for a second time in October 2019, at the age of seven, along with a brain lesion and this has left him grappling with "physical, cognitive and mental health difficulties".

Now aged 12, Tom requires full-time care and uses a wheelchair. He is incontinent, suffers from debilitating mental and physical fatigue, and struggles with depression and anxiety, which has led to suicidal thoughts a situation his mother describes as "terrifying".

Rebecca, who is Tom's