Latest news with #BeccaReed
Irish Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Turkey holiday horror as woman 'partially decapitated' diving into swimming pool
A young professional who 'partially decapitated' herself after diving into a pool and breaking her neck on holiday has said she feels 'fortunate' to be alive. Becca Reed, 25, who lives in London and works in PR, went to Turkey with a friend for her 23rd birthday and played volleyball in the pool on May 16 2022. After diving to catch the ball, she hit her head on the concrete base of the pool and spent the next few days in a 'haze and daze', managing the pain with painkillers and believing she just had whiplash. Unbeknown to Becca until she flew home and sought medical advice on May 19, she had crushed the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck, leading to two operations and years of mental and physical rehabilitation. 'When I did eventually see a doctor, the first thing she said after I told her what had happened was, 'I'm surprised you're not dead',' Becca told PA Real Life. She said doctors credited her unusually strong back and shoulder muscles as the factors that held her spinal cord in place, helping her survive the moment of impact and the days afterwards. Having never run 5km before the accident, she is now preparing for the TCS London Marathon on Sunday to raise funds for the Spinal Research charity. Speaking about the accident, she said: 'I was in pain, but there was no swelling, there was no bruising, my muscles were all just really tight – and it's called guarding. 'My muscles were guarding the rest of my body because I essentially partially decapitated myself, so my muscles were holding my head on. I had been going to the gym five or six times a week for nearly two years beforehand – and that is why I am alive. Doctors said if my injury had happened to a normal person, they wouldn't walk, move, talk.' Becca has always lived an active lifestyle and before the accident she enjoyed lifting weights in the gym, skipping and boxing. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in one knee, aged 17, but otherwise suffered no major injuries – until her birthday trip to Turkey in May 2022. On May 16, when she and her friend were playing volleyball in the pool, one move changed her life 'in an instant'. 'The dive just went so wrong,' she explained. 'My hands didn't even hit the bottom, my head was just the first thing to hit the bottom. Once the injury had happened, I just floated in the water for what felt like an eternity and I was just thinking, 'Can I move my feet?'' Becca soon realised she could move and she stood up and climbed out of the pool, and over the following days she remained in bed, taking painkillers. 'I hadn't jumped to, 'I've broken my neck or I've broken my spine', I just thought it was severe whiplash,' she said. After flying home, the pain increased and on May 19 she called NHS 111 for advice. She was advised to visit the A&E department at North Middlesex University Hospital, where she underwent an X-ray and various scans before being placed in a neck brace. 'Doctors told me I had the worst injury in London on this day,' she said. 'They said that my C5 and C6 vertebrae were just completely smushed and I had basically just cracked them both in half.' Becca was taken to the Royal London Hospital where she underwent two operations: one to replace the shattered vertebrae with a metal structure, and another to stabilise her neck with rods and screws. This is when doctors said her pre-injury dedication to fitness saved her life. 'The pain was actually the worst after the second surgery because they had to cut through all of my neck and back muscles,' she said. 'The surgeon said you've grown muscles where people don't usually grow muscles because I used to lift weights, and that is one of the main reasons why everything else held on.' According to Spinal Research, every two hours someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury in the UK and this can be caused by an accident, illness or a health condition. Becca had to re-learn how to turn over in bed, stand up from lying down, walk and even put moisturiser on her face. She described the recovery process as 'long and gruelling' and said she neglected her mental health at times. However, she knew she had to 'show up for (herself)' and, with the support of friends and family and Spinal Research, she began to rebuild her strength. 'My body held on for dear life when I didn't know it needed to… so I really needed to spend some time getting my body back to where I trusted in it again,' she said. After six months, Becca was able to start lifting more than 10kg and in January 2024, as part of her new year resolutions, she wanted to 'find passion in movement again'. She decided to start running and said she found 'peace and serenity' and a newfound confidence in herself and her body. Nearly three years after the accident, she will be running the TCS London Marathon on behalf of Spinal Research to raise awareness of the science and support systems that helped save her life. She said: 'If there's one thing that comes out of any of this, it's me advocating for people to get in the gym and be active. I didn't realise it would save my life, and you don't want it to be too late, so start now. Just show up for yourself now so you can thank yourself later because you don't know what's around the corner.' To donate or find out more about Becca's fundraiser, visit Becca's London Marathon for Spinal Research.
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Woman, 25, 'partially decapitated' diving into swimming pool on holiday
A woman was told she suffered the 'worst injury in London' by stunned doctors who couldn't believe she was alive after her horror accident while on holiday in Turkey A woman who is "fortunate to be alive" has shared how a horrific accident on holiday left her "partially decapitated". Becca Reed travelled to Turkey with her pals for her friend's 23rd birthday, and her life changed in an instant. The 25-year-old, from London, was playing an innocent game of volleyball in the pool when she suddenly broke her neck. After a dive to catch the ball went wrong, she hit her head on the concrete base of the pool and spent the next few days in a "haze and daze". Believing she had whiplash, she managed the pain with just painkillers. However it wasn't until she flew home and sought medical advice that she was told her injury was a lot more severe than she thought, with stunned doctors telling her they were 'surprised' she didn't die. Doctors told Becca she had crushed the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck, leading to two operations and years of mental and physical rehabilitation. READ MORE: Man left with horror injuries after driver 'inhaling gas from balloon' smashed into parked car "When I did eventually see a doctor, the first thing she said after I told her what had happened was, 'I'm surprised you're not dead'," Becca recalled. She said doctors credited her unusually strong back and shoulder muscles as the factors that held her spinal cord in place, helping her survive the moment of impact and the days afterwards. She said she was in pain, but there was no swelling, and added: "There was no bruising, my muscles were all just really tight – and it's called guarding. My muscles were guarding the rest of my body because I essentially partially decapitated myself, so my muscles were holding my head on." Becca, who works in PR, put her strong muscles down to visiting the gym five or six times a week for nearly two years beforehand, declaring, "That is why I am alive." She further noted: "Doctors said if my injury had happened to a normal person, they wouldn't walk, move, talk." Always living an active lifestyle, Becca enjoyed lifting weights, skipping and boxing and had only ever torn the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in one knee, aged 17, but otherwise suffered no major injuries – until the trip to Turkey in May 2022. The one move in the pool changed her life in an instant. "The dive just went so wrong," she explained. "My hands didn't even hit the bottom, my head was just the first thing to hit the bottom. Once the injury had happened, I just floated in the water for what felt like an eternity and I was just thinking, 'Can I move my feet?'" When she finally realised she could move, she stood up and climbed out of the pool, and over the next few days, stayed in bed and took painkillers. Becca said she didn't instantly think she'd broken her neck or spine, she just thought she had "severe whiplash". But the pain increased after flying home, and she called NHS 111 for some advice, where she was told to go to A&E at North Middlesex University Hospital, where she underwent an X-ray and various scans before being placed in a neck brace. "Doctors told me I had the worst injury in London on this day," she recalled. "They said that my C5 and C6 vertebrae were just completely smushed and I had basically just cracked them both in half." She was then taken to the Royal London Hospital where she underwent two operations: one to replace the shattered vertebrae with a metal structure, and another to stabilise her neck with rods and screws. It was then she found out her pre-injury dedication to fitness saved her life. "The pain was actually the worst after the second surgery because they had to cut through all of my neck and back muscles. The surgeon said you've grown muscles where people don't usually grow muscles because I used to lift weights, and that is one of the main reasons why everything else held on." READ MORE: 'I was crushed in 3-tonne hydraulic press, my ribs broke and I prepared to die' During her recovery, Becca had to re-learn how to turn over in bed, stand up from lying down, walk and even put moisturiser on her face. While it was "long and gruelling" and she said she neglected her mental health at times, Becca knew she had to "show up" for herself. With the help and support of her friends and family, as well as Spinal Research, she began to rebuild her strength. "My body held on for dear life when I didn't know it needed to… so I really needed to spend some time getting my body back to where I trusted in it again." According to Spinal Research, in the UK, someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury every two hours, and this can be caused by an accident, illness, or a health condition. After six months, Becca was able to start lifting 10kg weights, and in January 2024, she made a New Year's resolution to "find passion in movement again." Becca then decided to start running as she found "peace and serenity" as well as a newfound confidence in herself and her body. Now nearly three years after the accident, she will be running the TCS London Marathon on behalf of Spinal Research to raise awareness of the science and support systems that helped save her life. Having never run 5km before the accident, Becca said: "If there's one thing that comes out of any of this, it's me advocating for people to get in the gym and be active. I didn't realise it would save my life, and you don't want it to be too late, so start now. Just show up for yourself now so you can thank yourself later because you don't know what's around the corner."
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Young woman 'partially decapitated' herself diving into pool on Turkey holiday
A young British woman who "partially decapitated" herself after diving into a pool and breaking her neck on holiday is lucky to be alive, medics claim. Becca Reed was in Turkey celebrating her 23rd birthday with a friend on May 16, 2022, when she dived to catch a ball during a game of pool volleyball and hit her head on the concrete base of the pool. The now 25-year-old the following days in a "haze and daze", managing the pain with painkillers and believing she just had whiplash. It wasn't until she returned home and sought medical advice on May 19 that she discovered she had crushed the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck. This led to two surgeries and years of mental and physical rehabilitation. Becca told the M.E.N: "When I did eventually see a doctor, the first thing she said after I told her what had happened was, 'I'm surprised you're not dead. "I was in pain, but there was no swelling, there was no bruising , my muscles were all just really tight – and it's called guarding. "My muscles were guarding the rest of my body because I essentially partially decapitated myself, so my muscles were holding my head on. "I had been going to the gym five or six times a week for nearly two years beforehand – and that is why I am alive. "Doctors said if my injury had happened to a normal person , they wouldn't walk, move, talk." Becca has always led an active lifestyle, taking part in weightlifting, skipping and boxing. But the incident in Turkey changed her life "in an instant". She explained: "The dive just went so wrong . My hands didn't even hit the bottom, my head was just the first thing to hit the bottom. "Once the injury had happened, I just floated in the water for what felt like an eternity and I was just thinking, 'Can I move my feet?'" Becca soon realised she could move and climbed out of the pool, and over the following days remained in bed, taking painkillers. "I hadn't jumped to, 'I've broken my neck or I've broken my spine', I just thought it was severe whiplash," she said. After flying home, the pain increased and on May 19 she called NHS 111 for advice. She was advised to visit A&E, where she underwent an X-ray and various scans before being placed in a neck brace. She then underwent two operations: one to replace the shattered vertebrae with a metal structure, and another to stabilise her neck with rods and screws . She said: "The pain was actually the worst after the second surgery because they had to cut through all of my neck and back muscles," she said. "The surgeon said you've grown muscles where people don't usually grow muscles because I used to lift weights, and that is one of the main reasons why everything else held on."
Wales Online
25-04-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Woman, 25, 'partially decapitated' diving into pool in Turkey
Woman, 25, 'partially decapitated' diving into pool in Turkey Doctors said they were surprised Becca was not dead Becca "partially decapitated" herself after diving into a pool and breaking her neck on holiday (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved ) A young professional who 'partially decapitated' herself after diving into a pool and breaking her neck on holiday has said she feels 'fortunate' to be alive. Becca Reed, 25, who lives in London and works in PR, went to Turkey with a friend for her 23rd birthday and played volleyball in the pool on May 16 2022. After diving to catch the ball, she hit her head on the concrete base of the pool and spent the next few days in a 'haze and daze', managing the pain with painkillers and believing she just had whiplash. Unbeknown to Becca until she flew home and sought medical advice on May 19, she had crushed the C5 and C6 vertebrae in her neck, leading to two operations and years of mental and physical rehabilitation. 'When I did eventually see a doctor, the first thing she said after I told her what had happened was, 'I'm surprised you're not dead',' Becca told PA Real Life. She said doctors credited her unusually strong back and shoulder muscles as the factors that held her spinal cord in place, helping her survive the moment of impact and the days afterwards. Article continues below Having never run 5km before the accident, she is now preparing for the TCS London Marathon on Sunday to raise funds for the Spinal Research charity. Speaking about the accident, she said: 'I was in pain, but there was no swelling, there was no bruising, my muscles were all just really tight – and it's called guarding. 'My muscles were guarding the rest of my body because I essentially partially decapitated myself, so my muscles were holding my head on. I had been going to the gym five or six times a week for nearly two years beforehand – and that is why I am alive. Becca's post-surgery X-ray showing the impact on her vertebrae 'Doctors said if my injury had happened to a normal person, they wouldn't walk, move, talk.' Becca has always lived an active lifestyle and before the accident she enjoyed lifting weights in the gym, skipping and boxing. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in one knee, aged 17, but otherwise suffered no major injuries – until her birthday trip to Turkey in May 2022. On May 16, when she and her friend were playing volleyball in the pool, one move changed her life 'in an instant'. 'The dive just went so wrong,' she explained. 'My hands didn't even hit the bottom, my head was just the first thing to hit the bottom. Once the injury had happened, I just floated in the water for what felt like an eternity and I was just thinking, 'Can I move my feet?'' Becca soon realised she could move and she stood up and climbed out of the pool, and over the following days she remained in bed, taking painkillers. 'I hadn't jumped to, 'I've broken my neck or I've broken my spine', I just thought it was severe whiplash,' she said. After flying home, the pain increased and on May 19 she called NHS 111 for advice. She was advised to visit the A&E department at North Middlesex University Hospital, where she underwent an X-ray and various scans before being placed in a neck brace. 'Doctors told me I had the worst injury in London on this day,' she said. 'They said that my C5 and C6 vertebrae were just completely smushed and I had basically just cracked them both in half.' Becca was taken to the Royal London Hospital where she underwent two operations: one to replace the shattered vertebrae with a metal structure, and another to stabilise her neck with rods and screws. This is when doctors said her pre-injury dedication to fitness saved her life. 'The pain was actually the worst after the second surgery because they had to cut through all of my neck and back muscles,' she said. 'The surgeon said you've grown muscles where people don't usually grow muscles because I used to lift weights, and that is one of the main reasons why everything else held on.' Becca's second surgery left a scar running from her head to her back According to Spinal Research, every two hours someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury in the UK and this can be caused by an accident, illness or a health condition. Becca had to re-learn how to turn over in bed, stand up from lying down, walk and even put moisturiser on her face. She described the recovery process as 'long and gruelling' and said she neglected her mental health at times. However, she knew she had to 'show up for (herself)' and, with the support of friends and family and Spinal Research, she began to rebuild her strength. 'My body held on for dear life when I didn't know it needed to… so I really needed to spend some time getting my body back to where I trusted in it again,' she said. After six months, Becca was able to start lifting more than 10kg and in January 2024, as part of her new year resolutions, she wanted to 'find passion in movement again'. She decided to start running and said she found 'peace and serenity' and a newfound confidence in herself and her body. Nearly three years after the accident, she will be running the TCS London Marathon on behalf of Spinal Research to raise awareness of the science and support systems that helped save her life. Article continues below She said: 'If there's one thing that comes out of any of this, it's me advocating for people to get in the gym and be active. I didn't realise it would save my life, and you don't want it to be too late, so start now. 'Just show up for yourself now so you can thank yourself later because you don't know what's around the corner.' To donate or find out more about Becca's fundraiser, visit:
