Help get Niki back on her feet and regain self independence

For those of you who don't know, my 30yo daughter Niki was taken into hospital back in January for surgery in her cervical spine, and she still resides there at present.

Niki has 2 spinal conditions, Spinal Stenosis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Stenosis is narrowing of the spinal canal and Spondylitis naturally fuses the cervical spine together, resulting Niki's spine into one peice. She can't move her head and her cervical spine resembles a bamboo stick rather than individual vertebrae like ours. These 2 conditions clashing together are really complex but a horrendously painful and debilitating combination.

From around July-Dec 2023, Niki's body started to lose sensation, starting from her feet, working it's way up to her ribcage. We were unaware this was in fact partial paralysis due to pressure on her C4 spinal cord until her neurosurgeon told us without surgical intervention she was at risk of full body paralysis from the neck down.

Niki underwent 2 major spinal surgeries, but unfortunately she is now in a wheelchair; as with any surgery, there are risks involved. Sadly my daughter has an incomplete tetraplegic spinal cord injury with both upper and lower limb nerve tracks severely affected, causing lack of function, sensation, overactive spasticity, hand disfiguration, and her full abdominal area is now permanently paralysed.

She has been in rehabilitation in the QEUH National Spinal Injuries Unit for the past 10 months, relearning very basic things that we don't even have to think about. In addition she has had to find different ways to adapt to the things she can no longer do to maintain some self independence but will still need carers regardless when she gets home.

Her current house is unadaptable and inaccessible so she has recently been discharged to the Royal until she is able to find a suitable fully wheelchair accessible home. These property types are a minority and Glasgow is in a current housing crisis as it is, so it could take days, weeks, months even - we reallly don't know.

All that being said, we are desperately looking to get our daughter home to her family as soon as possible and any support offered to us would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Any donations received would go towards adaptations or equipment needed for her to live as independently as possible at home when one becomes available, so she can get any necessary work carried out and get moved in ASAP. Any outstanding funds will go towards a specialised private spinal physio / personal trainer to ensure she is regaining every bit of strength possible to get her back up on her feet.

We need our girl back!

Thanks in advance,

On behalf of all our family

Xx