EAST Anglian weathergirl Becky Mantin today said she was lucky to be alive following a freak surfing accident which left her paralysed and unable to function normally for months.
EAST Anglian weathergirl Becky Mantin today said she was lucky to be alive following a freak surfing accident which left her paralysed and unable to function normally for months.
The 25-year-old presenter, who began her career at Anglia television, faces a long road to recovery following the incident in Devon in June.
Although she returned to her job reading forecasts for ITV last week, she still experiences frequent debilitating migraines and continues to suffer from a kidney infection brought on by her intensive course of treatment.
However Becky, famous for her bubbly on-screen manner and still fondly remembered within the region, said she is determined to remain positive as her injuries could have been far worse.
She said: “My neurologist told me that if the water had not absorbed the force of the impact the accident could have been fatal.
“The last three months have been hard for me and my family but I just have to keep things in perspective and remember how lucky I am.”
Becky is not an experienced surfer and had taken to a board for only the second time in her life when the accident happened.
She had fallen into the water when she was struck to the back of the head by another surfer riding a 12ft board.
Becky said: “I just felt completely out of it.
“I was experiencing 12-hour migraines, couldn't open my left eye and at times was unable to move half of my body. I couldn't remember what was happening from one day to the next.”
After consulting the family GP, Becky was admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where the true extent of her injuries became apparent. There was blood on her brain and the brain itself had been dislodged and slipped to the front of her skull causing a secondary injury and damaging synapses.
She remained in hospital for several weeks and is still undergoing a programme of rehabilitation.
Have you overcome a potentially life-changing injury? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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