A mum-of-two was left with a life-changing brain injury after plunging 40ft from a balcony while sleepwalking on holiday in Paris. Raina Heverin, 44, from Liverpool, fell two storeys into a courtyard at a townhouse where she was staying with her brother and sister-in-law.
The fall
The incident happened on April 26 last year. Raina had swapped bedrooms with her brother and sister-in-law because traffic outside her room at the front of the property had kept her awake. They offered her their quieter bedroom at the back, which had a Juliet balcony.
Raina went to the room after a day sightseeing but remembers nothing about the fall and believes she was sleepwalking. At 6am, her brother noticed the bedroom door was open and initially assumed she had gone for a morning run. But her shoes were still inside and the window was open. When he looked down, he saw Raina lying motionless in the courtyard below.
Injuries and recovery
Raina was rushed to hospital with devastating injuries and remained unconscious for three weeks. She suffered a bleed on the brain, a punctured lung, a broken hip, arm and ribs. She spent two months in hospital in France before returning to Britain, then a week at Whiston Hospital and five months at Broadgreen Hospital before moving into a specialist brain injury rehabilitation unit in November.
She was diagnosed with ataxia, a neurological condition affecting balance, coordination and muscle movement, as well as polytrauma – multiple traumatic injuries. She now struggles to balance and suffers tremors in her hands, body and throat. She said: "It's hard for me to do normal things – like putting on mascara or holding a cup of coffee. Putting make-up on takes a lot longer. I had to re-learn how to do everything."
Road to recovery
Before the accident, Raina was an active mum who ran two businesses while raising Cian, 10, and Aliyah, eight. She exercised every day and regularly ran 10km, cycled, lifted weights and attended fitness classes. A doctor in France later told her family that her physical fitness had helped save her life.
Raina has now written a children's book to help her children understand her brain injury and why their mum has changed. She has also raised more than £4,000 for Liverpool-based The Brain Charity by completing a 5km walking challenge – walking 40 laps of her garden over four days. She said: "It feels like a massive achievement. I'm excited for the future, because I know it can only get better."
When asked what she would say to other people in rehabilitation, Raina said: "Don't give up, keep going. You're going to have some bad days, but you're going to have good days too. There's a life that's worth living."
