Woman’s Own – 19 August 2019

sed

SHOCK READ

Real life

wondering what was going to happen to

me. ‘What if I never walk again?’ I worried.

I tried to tell myself I was just being silly. ‘I’ll

be fine,’ I said to myself again and again.

When Terry and my sister, Faye, then 40,

arrived the next day, the doctors managed

to explain that I’d broken my neck. As

tears fell down all our faces, Terry gripped

my hand, but I couldn’t even feel it. Terry

had filled the boys in briefly on what had

happened, told them not to worry and that

Mum would be home soon.

We still didn’t know exactly

what my injury meant, but

I was taken to theatre, where

parts of my head were

shaved and a metal

brace was screwed into

the sides to traction

my broken neck. I still

couldn’t feel any pain,

but that meant I had no

feeling in my body, either.

I kept hoping that, somehow,I’dget

better – but after a week, we flew

home in an air ambulance and I was

taken to East Surrey Hospital, where

doctors took more X-rays and CT scans.

Then I was transferred to the Royal

National Orthopaedic Hospital, in

Stanmore, Middlesex. There, a consultant

explained that when I’d been thrown from

the rubber ring, I’d broken two bones in

my neck, which had resulted in a spinal-

cord injury. ‘We don’t know if you’ll ever

regain movement again,’ he said gently.

Terry and I sobbed as we took in the

gravity of what we’d been told. Until

that moment, I’d still been holding on

tohopethatthere was some chance of

regaining mobility. This

was going to change our

whole lives.

I also realised that not

only was I going to miss

Rachel’s wedding in a few

months, but that Faye’s

vow renewal for her 20th

wedding anniversary,

with her husband Mark,

45, was just weeks away,

in July2017.I’d been helping her plan

it for months, and the thought of

not being there broke my heart.

I was determined to make the

most of any options available to

me, so the next morning, when my

physiotherapist asked, ‘If there was

one thing you wanted to do, what

would it be?’ I didn’t hesitate in telling

her about Faye’s renewal ceremony.

For the next few weeks, I worked

tirelessly to get my strength back

enough to sit upright and learn how to

use my wheelchair. I told Faye about my

mission to be well enough to leave

hospital and be at the ceremony, but

we decided to keep it a secret from the

rest of the guests.

Making an entrance

Two weeks later, a team of nurses

helped me into my champagne-coloured

bridesmaid dress, then I was driven in a

specially adapted car to Hartsfield Manor,

Betchworth, Surrey. There were gasps

and sobs as everyone – including our

mum and dad – saw I’d made it, after all.

Afterwards, we celebrated with a

reception, but simply talking to people

left me out of breath – and by 8pm,

I returned to my hospital bed, where

I slept for almost two days.

Now, I’m back home in Crawley, West

Sussex, but life will never be the same.

I’m paralysed from the chest down and

need 24/7 care, and our house needs at

least £60,000 of work in order to make

it accessible for me.

Every day, I wish I’d never got in that

wave pool. Three weeks after I broke my

neck, the hotel was still providing rubber

rings for guests to use in it. Those rings

carry a warning that they should only be

used in ‘easy flowing water’ so I’ve hired

a legal team to take action. I can only

hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else,

because I’m living with the consequences

and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

‘We sobbed

as we took

in what

we had

been told’

At sister Faye’s

vow renewal

With Freddie,

Tommy and

Terr y