One month ago, Rebecca Waller was living the joyful, busy life of a 26-year-old building her future.

She worked hard, exercised regularly, and loved long walks with her fiancé, James. Weekends meant laughter with friends. She had just gotten engaged in September, and the two of them were dreaming about their wedding, their home, future children and the life they would build together.

Then, in a single afternoon, everything changed.

While on a routine work call on January 9th, Rebecca felt a sudden, crushing pain in her back. Within minutes she began losing sensation in her arms. She called James, struggling to speak through the pain. James started running from his office and realising the severity of this, immediately called paramedics who arrived 10 minutes later, alongside him. They found Rebecca on her bed, clutching her chest, writhing in pain, and speaking out loud that she did not want to die.

As the pain subsided, so did Rebecca’s ability to control her limbs. This was initially diagnosed as a severe panic attack, and Rebecca lay on her bathroom floor for almost two hours as paramedics tried to get her to move herself, unaware of the severity of her condition.

Hours later, doctors delivered the devastating news: Rebecca had suffered an extraordinarily rare spinal stroke - a condition so uncommon that only 67 cases have been documented worldwide. A tiny fragment from her spine had blocked blood flow to her spinal cord, interrupting the signals from her brain. Because the blockage was so high in her spine, Rebecca has lost function in all four limbs below her shoulders. Rebecca has no prior history to indicate this would happen. Overnight, Rebecca went from planning wedding invitations to learning that she may never walk, hug her loved ones with her own arms, or live independently without extensive support.

One moment she was planning her future. The next, she was lying paralysed in intensive care and remains there today.

And yet, Rebecca’s spirit has not been broken.

Those who know her describe her as kind, motivated, and endlessly optimistic about life. Even now, her determination shines through. Just hours after her diagnosis, James sat beside her hospital bed reading words of comfort and hope, grounding them both in the love and faith that continue to carry them forward.

The road ahead is long and uncertain, but Rebecca is fighting.

The NHS has provided incredible emergency care, stabilising Rebecca and giving her a foundation for recovery. But spinal injury rehabilitation is intensive, specialised, and expensive. Rebecca now faces months of neurological rehab, adaptive equipment, home support, and major accessibility modifications, all critical to giving her the best chance at regaining independence and rebuilding her life.

No young couple should have their future defined by financial limits after a tragedy like this.

This fundraiser exists to give Rebecca every possible opportunity to heal.

Your support will help cover:

• Specialist rehabilitation and physiotherapy to maximise recovery

• Home care assistance during rehabilitation

• Wheelchair accessibility modifications to their future home

• Mobility equipment and assistive technology

• Transportation to ongoing treatment

• Medical therapies not covered by the NHS

Every pound raised removes a barrier between Rebecca and her recovery. It allows her to focus on healing, not survival.

Rebecca is 26. She still dreams of her wedding day, her career, and the life she was just beginning to build. That future may look different now, but it is still hers to fight for.

By donating or sharing this campaign, you become part of that fight. You may never meet Rebecca, but you have the power to change the course of the rest of her life. Please help us give her the chance not just to survive this, but to live - fully, joyfully, and with dignity.

Thank you for standing with Rebecca.

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca’s little sister, Caroline