Paralysed Trowbridge horse rider walks again with charity appeal hoist

Megan Field using the LiteGait with spinal centre physiotherapist Elly Marchant

A woman paralysed in a horse riding accident and told she would never walk again has taken her first steps.

Megan Field, 35, from Trowbridge, suffered a life-changing spinal injury in the accident in May.

She has been treated at the Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital.

She said their £29,000 LiteGait hoist, funded by charity Stars Appeal, has helped her to walk again.

Ms Field was paralysed in her lower legs in the accident.

"It was like a light going out where the connection to that part of my body just went. I thought: 'I can't feel my legs or anything below the chest, nothing'," she said.

After surgery she started to get feeling back in one of her legs and was then able to start rehabilitation in Salisbury.

The mobile hoist system is called LiteGait and Ms Field said it has made recovery quicker

She was one of the first people to use LiteGait, which allowed her to practice and build up her strength and confidence walking.

"A split second"

Four months after her accident she was able to walk out of the Spinal Treatment Centre with the help of her crutches and is continuing her recovery at home.

"When I first had my injury I was told I would never walk again," she said.

"This has been such a life-changing injury, which happened within a split second. I woke up in the morning able to walk and went to bed that night paralysed."

She said that without the equipment her progress would have taken a lot longer.

"It is massively important and supports everything the therapists are doing," she said.

"I don't really have the words to say what this has meant to me. Thank you to all the Stars Appeal supporters who have made this equipment possible and helped me to walk again."

Spinal centre physiotherapist Elly Marchant said: "The LiteGait is something we've wanted for a long time because we know how empowering it can be for patients.

"It is a great addition to our tools that we can use to start people's walking in a safe environment."

Other equipment funded by the charity at the spinal centre includes specialist trainer bikes, an anti-gravity treadmill, adjustable dining tables and the Silver Lounge, which provides a quiet space and a place to socialise.