Woman’s Own – 19 August 2019

ON THE

HEN DO

I was paralyse

WORDS: PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN. PHOTOS: VTFEATURES.CO.UK

When Bonnie Lackey,

41, grabbed a rubber

ring in the pool, her

life changed forever

S

itting at the champagne bar

at the airport, my friends and

I clinked glasses in a celebratory

toast. ‘Here’s to a fun weekend!’

my cousin Rachel, then 28, grinned,

to which we all cheered in unison.

It was May 2017 and Rachel’s hen party.

Along with 23 others, we were off for a

weekend of sun-drenched fun in Magaluf.

I couldn’t wait – but at the same time, I

was going to miss my husband, Terry, 44,

and my sons, Tommy, 18, andFreddie,11.

Thoughts of home were

soon forgotten, though, when

we reached the hotel a few

hours later. Over the next two

days, we had a great time,

relaxing by the pool and going

out for drinks in the evening.

The following afternoon, one

of the girls suggested we

give the water slides a go, so

I joined everyone on a flume,

screaming the whole way down.

There was another pool next to the one

with the slides – but the water was cold,

so I grabbed a yellow, inflatable rubber

ring, letting the sun warm my skin as

I floated about. Only, just then, an

ear-splitting klaxon sounded as the

pool’s wave machine whirred to life.

The surrounding water swelled into

waves, each bigger than the last. I looked

up just in time to see the next wave

poweringtowardsmyrubberring.Asit

struck, I watched as my feet went up and

over my head. It all happened so quickly

• and landing face down in the water in
  the shallow end of the pool, I tried to push
  myself up on all fours. That’s when I
  realisedsomething was terribly wrong.
  No matter how hard I tried,
  I couldn’t get my arms and
  legs to move. Even lifting my
  head was impossible. I just
  had to stay face down in the
  water and hold my breath. I
  knew panicking would send
  all my air rushing out, so I
  tried to stay calm, and began
  to pray, ‘Somebody see me.
  Somebody help me, please...’
  Suddenly,sunlight hit my face and I was
  gulping in air as my friends dragged me
  out of the water. As I was slumped by
  the side of the pool, a
  hotel doctor ran over
  to assess me. But as he
  tapped my toes, there
  was no sensation, and
  I couldn’t move my
  arms or legs.
  While my friends
  stayedbehindtocall

Terry, I was rushed to A&E. I felt oddly

calm, despite the fact I had no feeling from

my shoulders down – not even any pain.

When I arrived there, covered with just

a towel, I lay on a hospital bed, looking up

at the ceiling lights, thoughts racing

through my head.

Rising panic

My neck was X-rayed, but barely any

of the nurses and doctors could speak

English – and I only knew a few words

in Spanish, so I had no idea what was

happening. ‘This seems really bad,’

I thought to myself.

I tried to sleep, but

a sense of panic had

settled in my stomach

and I spent the night

‘Someone

see me,

somebody

help me,

please’

Bonnie (second

from right) at

the hen do

Beingflownhome

fromMagaluf

A kiss in hospital

from son Freddie