Hi. My name's Tony and I am putting this up for Ruth. She is currently in hospital. This is her story.

Hi, my name's Ruth

Ten years ago I was diagnosed with incomplete cauda equina syndrome. I was told at the time that nothing could be done after being treated at St. Thomas'hospital pain clinic. If I had been referred to a back surgeon eight or ten years ago, I would have been back to my normal self now. Instead, I was ignored and left in excruciating pain for years. It was only thanks to my GP that I was finally referred to a spinal surgeon at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in December last year.

The operation was meant to ease the terrible pain I’d been living with. Instead, something went badly wrong during surgery and I woke up unable to walk.

I am now in the London Spinal Chord Injury Centre, which is the best in Europe, but sadly last week I was told that I need a wheelchair as I am now unable to walk.

My daughter lives far away , so we cannot be together at a time when we need each other most because her job makes it impossible. She’s been incredibly worried and it’s been really hard on her not being able to be here with me.

I’ve always been a strong, independent person and I’m desperate to remake my life to be as normal as possible as I can.

I used to love gardening, walking the dog, and just being able to do things for myself. Losing the use of my legs has been a huge emotional blow.

When I eventually get home, which I have just learnt, will be in just a couple of weeks, my house isn’t set up for someone who does not have the use of their legs. I urgently need a specialist equipment that, as you can image, costs thousands of pounds so I can live safely and independently, and even though I will now need carers. These are things we simply can’t afford on our own as a family.

Any help at all, no matter how small, would mean the world to me and my daughter. It would help us get a head start and give me back a little bit of independence and dignity while I try to navigate a new kind of normal.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story.

Ruth x