I lostmygrip
andplunged
downonto
theconcrete
glancing at the clock.
‘Before we call it a night, you
have to watch this music video,’
Christopher said, pointing at the Foo
Fighters on TV. ‘It’s really great!’
He got up to nip to the toilet, while
I popped across to the window and
lit up a cigarette to have a quick
smoke – my eyes still glued the
television screen.
I never usually smoke indoors,
but I thought: ‘Screw it, I’ll only be a
quick two minutes.’
Lighting my fag, I leant on the
window sill – half outside, half in –
to prop myself up.
But just as I finished my cigarette
and turned to flick the butt out, I lost
my balance and felt myself falling
out of the window.
‘Arrgghhh!’ I cried, as I grabbed
hold of the sill and dangled out of
the third-floor window – six flights
of stairs up from the ground.
Christopher came running into
the room, just as I was hanging there
and rushed over to try and help me
backupthe
window.
Butas heclutchedmy
arm, I slippedfromhis
grip and plungedto the
hard groundbelow.
It all happenedso fast.
I was knocked unconsciousas I
hit the grass in the communal
garden outside of myflat.
Christopher sprinteddownthe
stairs and draggedmeupto theflat-
while I was out cold.
He lay me in bedbeforequickly
calling 999 on his phone.
Within 10 minutesthemedics
arrived, but I was stillcompletely
out for the count.
They checked meoverbefore
loading me to a
stretcher and
carrying me
carefully to the
ambulance.
Christopher
called my mum,
Claire, 46, who
only lives five
minutes down the
road and she dashedoverto look
after Charlie.
The medics rushedmeto
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary,whereI
was rushed straightthrough.
I underwent CTandMRIscans,
before a doctor cameto delivertheresultsto us.
‘You’vegota brokenneck,’he
said.‘Andyou’vefracturedyourL
to L2vertebraein yourspine.’
TheyexplainedI wasluckynotto
havebeenmoreseriouslyinjured.
ButI worriedbecauseI couldn’t
movemybody.
‘AmI goingto beparalysed?’I
askedhim,fearwellingupinside.
‘Wehopeyou’llbeableto walk
againin aroundsixweeksandyou’ll
needto weara backbracefor 12
weeks,’thedoctortoldme.
A senseof reliefwashedoverme.
I couldn’thaveimaginednot
beingableto runaroundaftermy
littleboy- heconstantlykeepsme
onmytoes.
Aftera fewdays,I
postedanupdateto
Facebookto letall
myfriendsand
familyknowwhat
hadhappened.
Despitemybrush
withdeath,I triedto
makelightof the
situation,andsaidjokingly:‘YesI
wassoberandI stillhaveallten
acrylicnails.’
Afterfivedays,I defiedthe
doctors’expectationsandI wasable
to getbackuponmyfeetagain.
AlthoughI wasa littleunsteadyonmyfeetat first.
Aftera weekin hospital,Mum
broughtCharlieto visitme.
I didn’twanthimto seemein the
stateI wasin at first,butI was
missinghimso much.
‘WhathappenedMum?’he
asked,as heclimbedonmyhospital
bedbesideme.
‘OhI justfelloverandhurt
myself,’I toldhim,notwantinghim
to worry,andnotwantingto scare
himintonevergoingnearanopen
windowagain.
‘Areyousure?’hequizzed.
Thecleverclogssussedit was
somethingmoreandeventuallyI
toldhimthetruth.
Finallyaftera weekandfivedays
I wasableto bedischargedand
returnhometo Edinburgh,Scotland,
witha zimmerframeto helpmeget
aroundlikeanOAP.
It tookmealmosthalfanhourto
slowlyclimbthestairsto myflatand
I neededsixweeksoffmyjobat
Sainsbury’sBank,buteventuallyI
gotbackto myusualactiveself.
Sadly,ChristopherandI brokeup
whileI wasin hospital.
Whathappenedwasan
unpredictablefreakaccident,butI
definitelywon’tbelightingupnear
a windowanytimesoon.
Everyone’saskedmeif I was
drunk,butI wascompletelysober–
I’mjusta veryclumsyperson.REAL LIFE
My brother helped me
recover and I joked that
my nails had survived
The fall had
broken my neckI dropped from
the third floor!