Eastbourne woman paralysed after falling from ladder

Sarah Parsons, 49, was paralysed from the waist down after she fell from the two-storey-high ladder onto her husband John.

She was air-lifted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where she had to undergo surgery and doctors found she had fractured her spine and damaged her spinal cord.

There is also the danger of paralysis further up her body, in her chest, which would mean having to live with a ventilator.

Soon Mrs Parsons will be transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital for spinal rehabilitation.

Her husband John, 63, fractured his back in the accident.

Mrs Parsons’s daughter, Rochelle Hanson, said, “Their whole lives have been unexpectedly turned upside down.

“I am having a baby in May and my mum is determined to be my birthing partner and has a goal, I would just like her recovery to be as successful as possible because she is the most giving and helpful woman that I have ever met.

“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support, love and prayers John and Sarah are receiving at this time. We appreciate everyone so much.”

Now a friend has set up a crowdfunding page online, to raise funds for expenses while Mrs Parsons is in rehabilitation.

The page says, “Sarah is in excruciating pain and is understandably distraught. John has also fractured his back and has bruising and injuries to his chest.

“He will not be able to go back to work. He too is in terrible pain and extremely concerned for his wife.

“Sarah, John and their family have a very long and difficult road ahead of them, with many short and long term costs. Sarah will be in rehab for a long time and will need a lot of support, and her husband by her side.”

The page, which has so far raised more than £2,500 for the couple, is available at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sarahandjohn

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