Six years ago, Alex Jeffrey was told she probably would never walk again. Now she has defied the odds by scaling down the hospital building where staff saved her life.
Aged thirteen, Alex, from Charlton, south London, was diagnosed with a life threatening neurological condition after becoming paralysed overnight.
After undergoing a series of neurological tests , doctors told her she had Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) - a very rare autoimmune disease which causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
She told the Mirror: "One morning, I had woken up very weak and I was taken by ambulance into a local hospital, where I was treated for dehydration."
Sent home the same day, Alex awoke the next morning unable to move her lower body.
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"I woke up, completely paralysed. Unable to move from the ribs down, I also had double vision and so my parents rushed me to hospital."
"I had a lumbar puncture done. And I think it was during the lumbar puncture that the nurses and doctors realised how bad it was because I had no reaction whatsoever. I didn't feel anything".
At this point, Alex was rushed to the Evelina London Children’s hospital, which is part of Guys and St Thomas’s NHS Trust, where she was admitted to the high dependency unit on the neurology ward.
Here, doctors discovered the extent of her paralysis which had begun to affect her diaphragm.
Describing the horrifying situation, she said: "I was really struggling to breathe. I couldn't speak because I was so out of breath. They had a ventilator set up and ready for me and I had a bed reserved in the ICU."
Doctors told Alex’s parents that her prognosis was bleak and that if she survived, she would probably never be able to walk again. The hardworking team put Alex on an intensive steroid treatment and began a gruelling physiotherapy schedule with her.
Before her diagnosis, Alex was an active young woman and avid sailor and was even the captain of the Kent School Sailing Association. She said her biggest fear was never being able to get back on the water again.
"The thing I was most afraid of wasn't spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair and not being able to walk, it was getting back in a boat. And this is what motivated me to do the physiotherapy and work so hard."
The treatment plan worked and slowly over the course of a month, Alex’s symptoms began to subside.
"I began to get my breathing back after a week. I got my vision back and then in a week and a half, I was able to wiggle my toes."
In total, Alex spent nearly a month in hospital and says she owes her miraculous recovery to the amazing team at the Evelina, who went "above and beyond", working tirelessly to help her rebuild her strength and learn to walk again.
Alex says she couldn't have asked for better care, recalling one situation when it was snowing outside and the nurses made sure she had the opportunity to enjoy the weather too.
"One of the nurses just said 'Right let's get you in your wheelchair’, really tucked me up and took me outside onto the balcony just to make a couple of snowballs. I got the chance to play in the snow as I could see everyone else playing and it was just amazing."
Four years later and Alex decided to abseil down St Thomas' Hospital to raise funds and give back to the staff that helped her. Alex says her love for sailing helped her feel confident enough to take on the daunting challenge.
"I am actually quite fond of heights. When I saw this opportunity, I was one of the first people to sign up."
She added: "It was quite scary at first because you’re balancing on the edge of this platform and then you have to step back. It was just a really fun experience. And, I was able to do it to raise money for the hospital. It was just amazing."
Although Alex occasionally still struggles with fatigue and pain in her lower back where her muscles are still weak, she is currently healthy and on a gap year and is once again enjoying her time on the water.
Catherine Hart, director of fundraising, said: "We are so grateful to everyone who took part in our exhilarating St Thomas' Abseil.
"Thanks to their remarkable fundraising efforts, we have raised £240,000 to support exceptional care across Guy's and St Thomas'.
"This money will have a huge impact at the trust, including purchasing specialist equipment, supporting pioneering new treatments, and helping the incredible staff with the care and support they need through one of the most extensive staff health and wellbeing programmes within the NHS."
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