A mother-of-two from Liverpool is facing a long recovery after falling from a second-floor balcony during a trip to Paris. Raina Heverin, 42, sustained severe injuries, including damage to her brain stem, and is now relearning how to walk and talk at a hospital in the city.
The incident occurred on April 26 while Ms. Heverin was staying at an Airbnb. It is believed she may have been sleepwalking. A fundraising campaign has been launched to support her extensive rehabilitation needs.
Key Takeaways
- Raina Heverin, 42, from Mossley Hill, fell from a second-floor balcony in Paris on April 26.
- She suffered multiple serious injuries, including a broken arm, a broken hip, and three lesions on her brain stem.
- After nearly a month in a coma in a French hospital, she is now undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Liverpool.
- A fundraising page has been set up to help cover the costs of specialist therapy and equipment for her long-term recovery.
Details of the Paris Incident
Raina Heverin, a 42-year-old recruiter from Mossley Hill, was on a weekend trip to Paris when the accident happened. Her husband, Michael Heverin, 45, explained that the family believes she fell after having a nightmare or while sleepwalking.
She was discovered in the courtyard of the building the following morning by her brother, who was travelling with her. He had gone to her room to start a planned day of sightseeing but found she was not there.
"He thought she must have got up early and gone for a run, which wouldn't have been unusual at all for her," Michael said. "But then he saw her trainers by the door." After the discovery, Ms. Heverin was rushed to a local hospital in a serious condition.
A Difficult Medical Journey
Ms. Heverin sustained multiple life-altering injuries. These included a broken arm, a broken hip, and significant neurological damage. Doctors identified three lesions on her brain stem, which have severely impacted her movement and speech.
She remained in a coma for almost a month, eventually waking up on May 17. Her total time in the French hospital exceeded two months before she could be transferred back to the UK.
Timeline of Events
- April 26: Raina Heverin falls from a second-floor balcony in Paris.
- April 27: She is found injured and taken to a French hospital.
- May 17: Ms. Heverin wakes from her coma.
- June 11: She is medically transferred back to the UK, initially to Whiston Hospital.
- Present: She is continuing her recovery and rehabilitation at Broadgreen Hospital.
Upon her return on June 11, she was admitted to Whiston Hospital for a week and was then moved to Broadgreen Hospital, where she currently resides and is undergoing intensive therapy.
The Long Road to Recovery
The damage to Ms. Heverin's brain means she must relearn fundamental skills. Her husband described the immense challenges she now faces daily.
"She's learning how to walk again, learning how to talk again. All those basic skills we use on a daily basis, she has to relearn all of that," Michael explained. "A lot of the neurological pathways have been severed."
He noted that while she can speak and form sentences, her voice has changed, and conversation is exhausting for her. The recovery process is expected to take years. The contrast with her former life has been particularly difficult for Ms. Heverin, who was described as a highly active and successful individual.
"She was in the gym every single day. She's gone from being a force of nature in Liverpool... and all of a sudden it's ground to a halt and she's struggling to come to terms with that," Michael added. "She's still cognitively herself, but her ability to function at the level she did previously is gone."
Impact of Brain Stem Lesions
According to her husband, the three lesions on Raina's brain stem have had specific effects: one caused a loss of sensation on the right side of her body, another affected her left side, and a third impacted her speech.
Family and Community Support
The family's goal is to secure Ms. Heverin a place at Oak Vale Gardens, a specialist brain injury rehabilitation centre located in Broadgreen. To help with the significant costs of her long-term care, her friend Rachel Bryan has established an online fundraiser.
"The road ahead is long, and Raina cannot do it alone," Ms. Bryan wrote on the fundraising page. "She will need ongoing continuous therapy and specialist equipment to rebuild her independence. Every rehabilitation session she needs costs over Ā£100 an hour, and mobility aids and equipment run into the thousands."
The primary objective is to help Ms. Heverin regain enough independence to return home to her family. "After four and a half months in hospital, her goal is simple: to be home with her family, to walk hand in hand and play with her children," the page states.
Michael said their two children, aged nine and seven, have been incredibly brave throughout the ordeal. "They've been really brave. They adapt to change more easily than grown-ups do and have taken it in their stride," he said. The family visits Raina every day, focusing on the positive fact that she survived.
The initial days after the accident were filled with uncertainty, compounded by a language barrier in France. "We are hoping that she makes a full recovery," Michael concluded. "Our lives are going to be slightly different now, but we're still here, we have two young children, and we've got to make the best of things for them and for ourselves."