Hi everyone!! if you know me, hi, if you don’t, i am brooke. i am 22 years old and i’ve done a lot of sports over my life. i started in gymnastics, moved to trampolining, tumbling, display, acro and DMT before making the leap over to allstar cheer. it was by far the best decision i ever made and i have thoroughly enjoyed my cheer time and all the people that have come into my life through cheer :))

unfortunately in april, during an adult gymnastics class (unrelated to cheer, as cheer was closed for our worlds team competing in america at the world championships!) i was performing a skill i had done HUNDRENDS of times successfully, a freak accident occurred and i ended up landed in the foam pit, upside down on my head after not rotating enough. originally after my accident other than pain, i didn’t feel any concerning symptoms. after a few weeks pain persisted and i had some on and off arm related symptoms. i was back and forth with the GP (despite attending a&e the morning after my accident and NOT being offered a scan of any kind!) i eventually got some stronger pain relief and was advised i was fine!

in this time, i was still working (as i had no reason to be off as was told there was no injury) i also continued to cheer as i completely started to believe that i was being ‘dramatic’ as i was told…

it wasn’t until the end of june, i woke up one morning, with tingly legs, unable to pass urine and much worsening pain. of course, very concerned with all this, i re- attended a&e where i was placed in a neck brace and i stayed 2 ish weeks. other than main management, nothing was really done. it was found i had, thoracic fractures and a spinal cord injury as well as severe spinal cord compression. i got this news a few days before the final

competiion of the season and i was completely heartbroken to be letting my team down and feeling like a failure. i was discharged on wednesday and (as planned) i attended the final competition of the season as a spectator to cheer on and support my team to the best of my ability.

a few weeks after this, i went to see a private neurosurgeon who looked at my scans and was in complete shock at how i was still (to a degree) able to function slightly (with an altered gait, severe pain etc…) he offered me a *risky* surgery to try relieve the cord compression and make some space for the cord to breathe a little. i then underwent a fusion (aswell as making some space for spinal swelling to prevent later issues). my surgery was 29th august. after this, neck pain was much improved, i no longer had tingling, cramping in arms and my neck was much more aligned.

unfortunately my legs have taken a very big hit in all this, back in june during that admission, my left leg became very weak and lost a lot of power. the aim for the surgery was to help pain and arms, it was unlikely the legs would be made better due to the level i have had fused. after the surgery i was recovering at home….

September: left leg weaker and weaker, woke up late sept with loss of sensation in both legs and no power now in my right leg. unfortunately another trip back to hospital was necessary. i spent the first 2 whole days in a&e after doctors were fighting who was i going to be admitted ‘under’ i finally got a bed where i spent the next almost 5 weeks.

in between all this, i had been told if i wanted to regain use of my legs i needed a rehabilation programme (inpatient) however nhs waitlist was around 12/18 months???? as i was then an inpatient the rehab consultant was able to put forward a request, i then visited a few places and had some assessments to find the right placement for me.

on the 21st october i came to the rehab centre i am currently in!

In terms of wheelchair;

when i first left hospital in july, i was discharged, unable to walk long distances with a normal gait and with no aid or wheelchair. we then contacted wheelchair services and had an assessment. i was assessed as needing an active user chair which is a rigid frame, much lighter and much easier to use! unfortunately this came with a huge price tag as you do not get wheelchairs provided by the NHS. this cost over £2000, that’s just for the chair. seperately we have had to buy a ‘track wheel’ which will enable me to navigate over rough terrain and grass (to help me get back out with the dogs!) the issue with becoming a wheelchair user, is that i am able to navigate to a certain degree. until we face a hill or a longer distance when i get severe arm fatigue. our mission now is to be able to increase my independence to get out and about locally aswell as attend some things that i’ve missed out on over the last 7 ish months.

How you can help:

a power add on for a wheelchair, helps take some pressure off limbs, helps independence and helps people to be able to explore more things without worrying about having some able to help push etc! for me, being 22 yo i did not want a full electric wheelchair (i don’t want to look like mag from benidorm) as i was so sporty before my accident. i believe if my legs are struggling to weight bare atm, i should then use my arms to do the work of my legs, so that i dont seem lazy! e- motion wheels which are power-assist wheels, smart motorized wheels that attach to manual wheelchairs, providing extra power to the push rims to help users move, steer, and brake with less effort, reducing strain on muscles and joints and enabling longer distances and inclines.

getting the wheels would significantly improve my quality of life of being able to get around a little bit more to break the very lonely and boring days up! it will also help me be able to see some friends as it’s been incredibly hard and some friends have seem to have forgotten about me which really makes me sad :(

if you can help, at all. even if it’s just a share. everything is appreciated

thank you