Horsewoman's amazing recovery after near paralysis

A talented horse rider and instructor has made an amazing recovery from a catastrophic fall from a pony which all but paralysed her.

Sandra Jones, 66, of Horrabridge, suffered a spinal fracture in her lower neck, leaving her with just movement in one toe and finger.

She was told by doctors she was lucky to escape total paralysis. Up until that point, she was energetic and constantly active.

Now, after an 18-month battle through rehabilitation and plenty of hard work, Sandra has ‘frustratingly’ hit a recovery plateau and faces adapting to a life of restricted mobility .

She can now walk using mobility aids and is using a power chair for longer distances but her stomach no longer processes food properly and she has very limited hand movements.

Also, her body’s thermal and blood pressure regulation no longer works properly, meaning her body can go into shock in temperature extremes she cannot sense.

She will soon have to make the ‘agonising’ decision of either expensively adapt her home of 44 years or move to a purpose-built bungalow.

However she counts herself ‘lucky’ to have avoided Superman actor Christopher Reeves’s plight of being totally paralysed below the neck after being thrown from a horse, forcing him to use a ventilator and wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Absolutely refusing to give up, Sandra was recently nominated as a British Dressage judge of the year 25/26, and travelled to Horse of the Year recently to attend the awards.

“I regularly rode at Horse of the Year and it’s very different watching from accessible seating. But I was thrilled to be there nevertheless. I have survived, recovered enough to not be in bed 24 hours, seven days a week,” she said. “I’m now gathering my small pot of energy to adapt my surroundings to suit a new life with dramatically limited movement.

“I know I’ve made a huge recovery from effectively being paralysed and I am forever indebted to the consultants, the neurological consultants and specialist teams and the rehabilitation teams.

“I spent months in Derriford and Salisbury hospitals. The staff had to contend with a very impatient patient, constantly pushing myself beyond what was expected, then crashing, only to repeat the cycle. But I definitely exceeded expectations. But now I’ve reached a plateau, which apparently, is natural. And it makes me frustrated, not being able to live my previous life, which is hard to come to terms with.”

Sandra admits her limitations can get her down, as she looks to raise funds for an extension for a ground floor bathroom and bedroom.

“I can shuffle around the house quite effectively, but the energy for simple things like making a cuppa or showering the fatigue is real,” she said. “I have to protect myself from getting hot or cold. Like a baby, my body no longer reacts to warn me of changes in temperature. It’s a strange and unwelcome addition to the list of things to survive.”

She remembers only the accident and little afterwards: “I was alone and riding a pony at walking speed. The next thing I felt was smashing into the ground on my face, the pony had bolted, bucking for an unknown reason.

“I knew immediately it was serious. I couldn’t move, or see, blood in my eyes from facial fractures. Alone and unable to use a phone. After 30 mins the paddock owner found me. The ambulance decided against waiting for the air ambulance due to the obvious life-threatening emergency and she was rushed to Derriford intensive care unit.”

She could only communicate by tapping her one moving finger. Gradually she regained movement, but doctors could not commit themselves to say what kind of future life she might have as improvements were hard to predict.

Sandra is nothing if not a determined character and had to overcome yet another obstacle when she acquired an infection which meant she could not use some of the specialist rehabilitation services, like a hydrotherapy pool and gym, at the Salisbury spinal unit. But she persevered and began walking.

She had to muster all her motivation to begin standing and taking steps again, to push for improvement in whatever nerve endings were still working.

Sandra said: “I was told I’d broken my neck and that I was ‘lucky’ it wasn’t a worse case scenario of being totally paralysed for life, like Superman actor Christopher Reeves. If the break had been only one vertebrae higher up and fully across by spinal chord, I wouldn’t have been able to breath without a ventilator, like him.

“It’s difficult to accept being ‘lucky’ when rigid limbs and constant pain are now a constant. I get very upset and angry, but I’m an optimistic and determined person at heart, and despite the rollercoaster of despair and upset there is always hope. You just can’t give up. The challenge of losing my outdoor identity and income has been tough.

“My whole identity was wrapped up in my outdoor horsey girl life and I married a farmer’s son who also was into horses. Now I’m an indoor inactive person, which is a tough challenge. After the physical challenges, now comes the mental challenge.”

Sandra has had to face the loss of her husband Robert, who died in 2011, and her parents soon after, so is used to picking herself up and finding a way forward.

She had to repass her driving test, so she can get out and visit friends and horse yards, for a taste of her former life, which is a boost for her mental health. She attends a pain management course, can swim with paddleboards and floats, can now open a book and use pens again and compile jigsaws.

A combination of her iron will, optimism and family love are carrying her forward: “I’m the same person inside me and it’s not enough merely to ‘survive’.

“I am determined that the future will hold something positive. My children Colin and Tracey have been fantastic in keeping me going mentally. My grandchildren Willow and Seren are constantly in my heart to remind me to fight for the best outcome, see them grow and be there with positivity. With luck, a robot will appear soon with the capacity to fix the unfixable and I will be back as good as new.”