Injured Morpeth teacher is on the mend

Jill Dodds suffered major spinal injuries in December when a 20ft high balcony she had been standing on suddenly gave way.

After enough money was raised via an online fundraiser, a repatriation team travelled to Koh Samui to bring her back to England in January.

The 47-year-old teacher was taken to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, which has one of the country's biggest spinal cord injury units.

Doctors immediately put her on antibiotics after finding a major sore on her back, and told her there was a strong risk she could have died of septicemia if she had remained in the Far East.

Jill has had to remain patient as the sore got better, but there has been positive progress as she has felt movement in her legs and she is hopeful of starting the rehab process later this week.

She said: “It’s only a few days ago that I saw photos of the sore when it was at its worst, so I can say that it’s much better now.

“After the days of bed rest, as long as all goes well in the next day or so I can start the rehab process by going into a wheelchair for an hour or two to start with.

“If everything is OK in terms of my blood pressure and skin after a four-hour stint, I can then go to the gym and use machines where I can use my legs in a seated position.”