A young mum who became paralysed overnight still doesn't know why it happened more than a year later
Lisa Harris, from Merthyr Tydfil, had trouble walking for years. But she had otherwise lived a healthy and normal life until December, 2020, when she woke up one morning and collapsed.
Since that day, the 28-year-old has become a quadriplegic confined to a wheelchair, has lost her hearing, and is now also losing her vision.
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But the mum-of-two claims that baffled doctors still can’t tell her what is causing the degenerating nerve damage, which at one point saw her begging her family to help end her life. To read more news from Merthyr Tydfil click here.
Lisa told the Mirror : “It did more or less happen overnight. I’d noticed my legs felt a little weaker than usual for a while and my balance was worse. I stood up to go to the bathroom while holding onto my partner and literally just hit the floor. I’ve not been able to stand or walk since.
“The nerve damage has now spread and I have very minimal hand function, my hearing is more or less gone and my optic nerve is dead so my sight is also going.”
Lisa, who is a mum to Leo, eight, and Luna, two, with fiancée Luke, 28, was left so devastated by her paralysis that she felt suicidal.
She said: “I spent around six months praying every night that I wouldn’t wake up the next day, at my lowest I’ve even begged my loved ones to help me end my life.
“I just wanted to be ‘put out of my misery’ so to speak. I’ve been through a really dark time but I’m trying to overcome it.”
In 2012, Lisa was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency and Addison's Disease which affects the adrenal gland which releases hormones into the body.
She noticed problems in her feet and knees, where she was unable to bend them, leaving her with a ‘funny walk’. Although she was experiencing some pain, she claimed it was manageable and she had quarterly injections to boost her B12.
In the days before her collapse she noticed her legs were weaker than usual but never anticipated that she would soon wake up and become paralysed.
Since then, she has undergone numerous tests to find the cause, but claims that, 14 months on, she still has no answers.
She said: “I’ve lost count of the tests I’ve had in all honesty. I’ve had bloods, nerve conduction studies, MRI/CT scans, lumbar punctures. They’re not sure if it’s genetic or not yet.
“It's frustrating more than anything, if or when I have a diagnosis, no matter what the outcome, it will just be a relief and closure. But at the same time, it is absolutely terrifying if it is genetic because of the children.”
Lisa is awaiting the results of genetic testing which will show whether her parents were carriers of a gene malformation which is causing her issues.
Despite everything, she remains determined to regain some independence and, with the help of Luke and her parents, continues to try and learn to walk again.
The brave mum is also sharing her story on Instagram in a bid to break the stigma around disability following her own mental health battle to come to terms with her situation.
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