Injured Morpeth teacher's recovery is 'going really well'

Jill Dodds suffered spinal injuries, including a crushed vertebrae, in December when a 20ft high balcony that she had been standing on suddenly gave way.

After enough funds were raised in an online appeal, a repatriation team from AALS Medical Services travelled to the hospital in Koh Samui where she was being treated to bring her back to the UK in late January.

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

Speaking earlier this week, her sister Katie Breeze gave an update that included Jill being able to go into a wheelchair on Tuesday now that a major sore that had been on her back has healed.

Katie added: “Jill is getting on really well and making good progress with her upper body and hands.

“What is also helping is that she is now allowed daily visits.

“The hospital has been very helpful in giving us updates and one of the doctors said if she hadn’t come back to the UK when she did, it could have been a completely different story because of the seriousness of the infection on her lower back.

“We are now just a few hundred pounds off our £40,000 target to cover all the Thailand-related bills, including flights. People can still donate online at www.gofundme.com/f/help-get-jill-home-for-care-rehab”