Mum told she will never walk again after horror crash near Harwich

Clair Brady, 40, should have been about to start an exciting new chapter of her life as she gave up her rented home and prepared to move in with her partner of six months Luke Garwood, 38.

But now, the couple have been left in turmoil and needing to find a whole new property to move into - after Clair suffered life-changing injuries in a motorcycle accident.

The mum-of-one has been left paralysed from her sternum downwards - including the lower part of her lungs, meaning she now needs the help of a machine to breathe.

Therapy assistant Clair, who was training to become an occupational therapist, was left with one broken rib on her left side and six broken ribs on her right side.

Her spinal cord was also left completely severed in the middle, with four broken vertebrae.

It means that Clair will need to use a wheelchair and will never be able to walk again - and can no longer move into Luke’s home in Ipswich, Suffolk, due to accessibility issues.

The pair are now faced with the challenge of finding a new property to move into, more suited to Clair’s needs and recovery.

Luke, who has two teenage children of his own, said: “We’re faced with a very different and difficult road ahead, and have to find a new, wheelchair-accessible bungalow of at least three bedrooms in the Ipswich area, before she can come home.

“Clair is a very positive and driven person, and is very keen to start physiotherapy and get on the road to recovery - but we really need some help.”

Luke has set up a fundraising page to help he and Clair raise funds to find a new home - which has raised £20,000 in just one week.

He said: “We are immensely grateful for all the amazing support and donations we have received so far. It will be a huge help in getting Clair back to her new normal.”

Clair’s accident happened on June 7, when she decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and ride her motorbike down to the seaside in Harwich.

It was Clair’s first time out on the bike by herself since passing her test.

After the crash she was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where she underwent surgery two days later to fuse the broken vertebrae back together in her spine.

The operation was a success, and means Clair is now able to sit up in her hospital bed - but there will be no bending in the middle of her back, due to the metal rod used during the fusing.

Clair now also requires a special machine to help her breathe - as the lower part of her lungs are paralysed.

Luke said: “Her breathing is quite shallow at the moment, because the bottom portion of her lungs aren’t expanding properly, which means there is a risk of infection.

“She has to press a button when she breathes in, which forces additional air in to fully inflate the lungs.

“Then when she breathes out she presses another button, which makes her cough, in order to try and expel anything from the lungs that shouldn’t be there.”

Luke and Clair have been told that Clair will eventually be transferred to a specialist rehabilitation centre in either Stoke Mandeville, Bucks. - or 140 miles away, in Sheffield, South Yorks.

But the pair have been given no indication of when this might be - or how long Clair might need to be there.

Luke said: “There were hopes that she would have been moved this week, but there’s still quite a lot of fluid coming out of her spine, so we need to wait for that to stabilise.

“But she’s very keen and driven to get on with physiotherapy now, and to start doing lots of upper body work to build herself up in her arms and shoulders and chest.”

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/clair-brady?.