A British woman suffered severe burns after an epileptic seizure in a hot shower during a holiday in Italy, leaving her unable to walk for 18 months. Annie Perez, 38, from Chingford, east London, was airlifted to hospital after the incident in June 2022.
Perez, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at 15, has no memory of the seizure. She woke up in an Italian hospital with bandages on her arms and legs, having sustained burns to 11% of her body. Some burns were so deep they reached the bone and muscle.
After three weeks in Italy, she was transferred to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, where she stayed for two months. She was bed-bound and required a wheelchair, then a walking frame and sticks, before regaining independent mobility after 18 months.
Perez still receives laser therapy, physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy for nerve damage in her left ankle. She has set up a GoFundMe to fund egg freezing, as the burns have affected her confidence and future family plans.
