A teenager who was left paralysed due to a rare condition abseiled 160 feet to thank Evelina London Children’s Hospital after making a full recovery.
Alex Jeffery, 18, from Greenwich, abseiled down St Thomas’ Hospital and was inspired to take on the challenge after receiving lifesaving treatment at Evelina London for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM).
The condition affects the brain and spinal cord and caused Alex to lose movement in her lower body at just 13 years old. She also experienced breathing problems, that almost led to her having to be put on a ventilator. “I could only say one word at a time before I’d lose my breath,” Alex explains.
ADEM is rare, affecting one in every 125,000 to 250,000 people worldwide each year. It typically only affects children aged two to ten. “I was 13, and my condition deteriorated abnormally fast,” she explained.
“The doctors had never seen my particular case before, which was why they were unable to say if and when I would recover.”
Alex said without proper treatment, ADEM can be fatal. “That’s why I’m so lucky to have received the treatment I did at Evelina. If it wasn’t for them, I would still be in a wheelchair.”
Alex spent almost four weeks at Evelina London before being discharged back home to finish recovering. She has regained all movement in her lower body and is able to walk without crutches.
To thank Evelina London, she did the abseil and set up a fundraising page to raise money for the hospital.
“I had so much fun and knowing I was raising money for an important cause made it even more special,” she said.
“When I got to the bottom, I was interviewed by ITV News. That was more nerve-wracking than the abseil itself,” she says. “The abseil was perfect for me; I don’t mind heights and it’s a bit like going up the mast in sailing.”
She told the News she started sailing with her dad when she was two, and before being paralysed, she was used to doing it ‘single-handedly’, meaning she was the only one on the boat.
“Doctors said they didn’t think I’d ever be able to do that again – but one month after being discharged from Evelina, I was back sailing on my own,” she said.
Alex’s dad said she’s been looking for a good opportunity to say thank you to the people at the Evelina for some time. “It was great when she was finally able to take part in the abseil – it meant a great deal to the whole family to be there with her,” he added.
Dr Ming Lim, a consultant neurologist at Evelina, said: “Alex has made a remarkable recovery. At Evelina London we have specialist teams who know how to treat rare conditions like this.”
“We are very thankful for her fundraising and we are so pleased that she is doing well and is sailing again.”
Alex has raised nearly £1000 so far for Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
To donate to Alex’s fundraising click HERE.