A mum has described the moment she almost died after her car rolled across three lanes on the M5 and nearly fell down a 15-foot drop. But Paige Woodhouse has now shocked doctors by learning to walk again following her horrific injuries.
Paige, now 28, badly wounded her leg after colliding with a fence pole in 2017 - just a week before her 23rd birthday. She was told by doctors at the time that her leg might have to be amputated, that she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life and that she would "never be able to walk again."
But, five years later - after a total of seven months in hospital and five operations - brave Paige regularly uses the gym and has retrained her leg to walk again. The mum-of-one is speaking out now to encourage others to "always pick yourself back up, no matter what".
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She said: "So many people have messaged me saying my [Instagram] account has helped them in their trauma journeys. People hold a lot of things in and never talk about their feelings - but that's what I did and it didn't do me any favours.
"Just being able to talk in a supportive environment goes such a long way. I want to help and show people that life can be hard, and bad things can get thrown at us, but you have to pick yourself up and keep going."
On March 29, 2017, the single mother from Gloucestershire was driving to her then three-year-old son's nursery when she was told later on she either "fell asleep" or "passed out" at the wheel.
Paige - who crashed at Junction 13 on the M5 in Stroud - said: "I don't remember what caused the accident - I was on lots of medication for a separate medical problem - but it all happened in a flash. The fire brigade told me my car hit the central reservation in the middle of the motorway, rolled over the three motorway lanes, and over the hard shoulder.
"There was a 15-foot drop gully on the other side of the motorway that my car then hit, bounced off and thankfully rolled over to the side - but that was when the fence post came into the car and went into my leg. I remember a man in a yellow jacket who came running over - and I really do believe he kept me alive because he kept me conscious by talking to me.
"You know they say when you are going to die you see the light? Well I really did. oh I saw my family members and my son telling me 'Wake up, Mum!' - I must have almost been on death's doors but he kept me going".
Paige was administered with a sedative to dull her injuries and was later informed that the police, ambulance and fire brigade were present at the scene.
She said: "A helicopter was sent but because of my leg I couldn't fit in the hatch, so they had to take me to the hospital in an ambulance - where the wood in my leg managed to wiggle its way out!"
The only memory Paige can recall after her near-death experience was waking up in a bed in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, with her parents and brother stood before her. The doctors informed Paige and her family of the injuries she has sustained and explained that what had happened to her leg was "so unique" they were unsure of the outcome.
Paige said: "The doctors didn't know if I would lose my leg or not and said I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I had three clean-out operations to clean the wound and they had to to go through my thigh, I had broken my femur and severed 3cm out of my sciatic nerve.
"I had also fractured a bone in my neck. After all the cleanout operations I had the final one on my 23rd birthday on April 5 to put my leg back together".
Following the major operation, Paige was on bed rest for around 10 weeks and had to keep a heat blanket over her leg for most of the time to help it heal.
"The staff at the hospital really went above and beyond for me", Paige said. "They wanted the best outcome for me, so my surgeon drove for hours to speak to a top surgeon to ask what he should do to help me. I didn't even know they did that!"
In May 2017, Paige was allowed back home where she was living with her son. She had crutches and was participating in physiotherapy and hydrotherapy classes regularly, and admits she was starting to make a "positive comeback".
But Paige's recovery journey was short-lived, however. A few months later she suffered another piece of bad news.
She said: "I was walking down the path to my auntie's house to go to a family party but remember having a horrible pain in my leg. I tried to ignore it but was in agony and actually ended up getting stuck on the toilet because I couldn't move - it was excruciating!".
It turns out the titanium rod that had been implanted in Paige's leg to help it heal had snapped. Paige was sent to A&E in Gloucestershire immediately, but requested to be transferred back to Southmead Hospital to talk with her surgeon who had pre-existing awareness of her injuries.
But, instead of getting the rod out straightaway, Paige alleges that she was made to wait three weeks with the rod still snapped inside her leg due to other medical emergencies and a lack of available beds.
She said: "After waiting for weeks due to emergencies coming in every day that took priority, I got to the point where I was swearing and in complete agony. It was horrific but eventually I had the operation and they put in a thicker titanium rod from my hip to my knee."
Shortly after the operation, Paige was admitted back into hospital with E. coli because her injury had gotten infected. The already-suffering mother was then on an IV antibiotic drip for a year.
She explained: "The doctors thought I had sepsis but were not able to confirm that. I had such high temperatures, felt really unwell and looked so ill.
"I had to undergo a C-Reactive Protein Test to detect inflammation. The rate of a normal, healthy person is supposed to be 10. Mine was 300".
After a year of recovery, Paige was able to come off antibiotics and her crutches in April 2018 - and a few months later she started going to the gym to build her leg up again. Despite being told she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Paige exceeded doctor's expectations in her rehabilitation progress - and her recovery has been used as a case study for doctors in training.
She said: "I just started building up muscle again - my calf muscle was so skinny at first! I had to get back behind the wheel as soon as possible to take my son to nursery. It was so challenging but I couldn't give up, it just was not an option for me. I haven't got a lot of movement in my leg but there is now something".
Paige still experiences foot drop, loss of movement and feeling from her knee down and wears - what she calls "annoying" ankle and knee braces. In spite of these challenges, Paige has made incredible progress in her recovery. She admits: "Doctors say 'wow' to me a lot - they genuinely didn't think it would be possible."
Paige says her inspiration for her rehabilitation was her family and son who is the "only reason" she is still alive today. She said: "There have been days he's the only reason why I actually get out of bed. Without him, I believe I would not be alive today or on a very different path to where I am right now."
Currently suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, Paige is taking time to heal herself and prioritise her mental and physical wellbeing. She is attending weekly counselling sessions with a major trauma psychology unit - a new service that has become recently available to trauma patients.
"With therapy, I'm unlocking a lot of things my had had tucked away - it's been extremely taxing emotionally", said Paige. "Every time I go into a hospital I have a panic attack but I'm on the right path now."
Having completed six weeks worth of therapy, Paige said: "I used to let negative thoughts over-rule my life but now I know I can overcome it. I'm still very much up and down but the positive change has been amazing!"
Paige is now able to walk, but still suffers with a little limp and carries her crutches and walking stick with her occasionally when she needs it. Paige added: "I have chronic pain still as well, from nerve pain, ache and pains, scars being tight and problems and pain with my neck and back."
Despite her injuries, Paige carries a smile and admits she is "a lot better" than she was five years ago. The inspirational woman also hopes to start a support group for trauma patients - something she admits was not available to her but believes it could be a "a vital process in healing trauma".
She said: "When I was trying to help myself I attempted to find a group of people I could relate to. No matter how much I spoke to family and friends, they had not been through anything like I experienced. In my head, I felt like a burden.
"I felt like no one understood or got what I had been through - but had I found a group of people who had been through similar things to me, we could have guided, supported and shared things with each other. It usually doesn't even matter what the trauma is - when you have people who have been through it and can resonate with you it's so important and can really helps the healing process."
Paige says since starting her Instagram account @disabilityisbeautifultoo_ she has been flooded with messages of support. Her next goal is to climb Snowdonia for charity, in what she explains is a "mission to show people you can achieve anything that you set your mind to".
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