A mum left with a deadly spinal condition after hitting her head on a ceiling fan has made a 'miracle' recovery after undergoing life-saving surgery paid for by a stranger. Rachel Pighills, 36, was left wheelchair-bound with the constant risk of being 'internally decapitated' - but can now walk unaided without a neck brace for the first time in four years.
She had been moving into a new house in August 2018 when the spinning blades of a ceiling fan smashed her on the back of the head causing her catastrophic injuries.
The mum-of-one was left with atlantoaxial instability and basilar invagination - meaning her brain was literally sinking into her spine as her skull dropped. The rare condition meant she could no longer turn her head the wrong way as each time she did her spine would partially dislocate increasing a risk of paralysis or death.
Rachel and husband Guy, 42, spent years trying to raise £350,000 for pioneering treatment not available on the NHS that only three specialists could perform abroad. They finally reached the milestone earlier this year thanks to a woman in her 60s from Warwickshire who loaned them a staggering £130,000.
Rachel was driven by her husband the 17-hour 1,055 mile journey to Barcelona in a second-hand ambulance as she was too unwell to fly. Doctors at Teknon Hospital inserted metal rods into her spine and reset her skull and brain stem in an operation that lasted 13-and-a-half hours back in May.
The surgery was a success and after almost four weeks in hospital, Rachel and Guy drove back to the UK to return to their home in Pershore, Worcestershire. Now six months later, Rachel has seen an improvement in her condition, which doctors said she was unlikely to see for another year.
She has now enjoyed days out visiting a zoo, going for meals with her husband and walking her dogs for the first time since 2018. Rachel no longer has to wear the neck brace which was a constant fixture in her life unless travelling and now tries to walk everywhere without the help of a wheelchair.
She said doctors in Barcelona had been left 'absolutely amazed' by her progress while her husband called it 'an absolute miracle'. Before the operation, she had been left virtually housebound as one fatal turn of her head could have proved fatal and a trip to the supermarket was considered a 'day out'.
Rachel, who has a 14-year-old daughter, said: "It wasn’t expected for the recovery to go so well so quickly. The bone growth has been what you’d expect at 12 months, not six months. It's normally a year before you start turning a corner like this.
"Around early November I was able to go for a proper walk. I couldn’t walk like I could do now and it just feels amazing. It is a miracle recovery but I've still got a long way to go.
“If things stay as they are or continue to get better I won’t need the other operation. They say a year plus for the body to heal fully, it’s only going to get better hopefully.
“We went back to Barcelona and we managed to go to the zoo, I've been able to walk the dogs and go for a meal. Just normal things you take for granted.
“I don’t have to wear my neck brace now unless I'm travelling. My wheelchair I take with me but I try and walk.
"My body is getting over the surgery and the muscle aches, the pain and tiredness will reduce. I’m just building my strength up. I am grateful to the woman who loaned us the money. She really is our guardian angel. What better gift to give than the gift of life?"
Rachel and Guy, who works as a service technician for the NHS, have kept the ambulance they used to get to Barcelona as it allows Rachel easy access. While travelling back to Britain in the vehicle, they were even shockingly stopped by UK Border Force officials who accused her of drug smuggling.
She added: "I’ve had to adapt to so many new things as my neck is still fused together and there’s metal rods in my spine. We bought a second hand ambulance because I couldn’t fly and we still use it now as it’s easy to get into.
"Certain cars are alright but it’s far more comfortable, it’s a godsend. There's still pain and I will always have to turn from my hips. But my one goal was to take the dogs for a walk with my family so now hopefully the only way now is up. I’m a determined person."
The couple are now raising money to pay back the £130,000 loan and anyone wishing to donate can visit: www.gofundme.com/f/q8tc99-rachels-fight-for-life
