Woman to abseil 40 years after spinal cord injury

A grandmother who is scared of heights is to take on a 90ft (27m) abseil for charity to mark the 40th anniversary of a life-changing spinal cord injury.

Miranda Jenks, 61, from Oswestry, Shropshire, had finished college in 1986 and was waiting for exam results when she was involved in a motorbike accident, Spinal Injuries Association [SIA] said.

After five-and-a-half weeks, she was discharged from hospital with no referral to a specialist spinal unit and no support or signposting for her injury, it added.

The mother-of-four is to do both the abseil and a one-mile canoe challenge on 19 September for the charity.

Jenks, who also built up a career, said in life she has "had to adapt, improvise, find ways around".

The abseil will taken place at the home of another charity, Derbyshire-based outdoor education centre Dukes Barn.

As a result of her injury, she lost most of her lower body mobility and is only able to stand and walk for short distances with mobility aids, and uses a wheelchair when she goes out, SIA stated.

The grandmother said: "The hospital didn't tell me what would happen with a spinal cord injury. I don't think they knew themselves.

"It does affect your bladder and bowels, but nobody told me that.

"Nobody said about looking after your skin so how I didn't get pressure ulcers I don't know."

Jenks added she had to find her "own way through for years" and also "didn't realise that people could walk with a spinal cord injury".

She said because she was able to walk, "albeit with aids, I actually hated myself for a long time because I thought that if I can walk, I should be back to normal".

"I thought I was the problem, that I wasn't doing enough to be okay."

Nearly three decades after sustaining her injury, she noticed her ability to walk was getting worse, SIA said.

It added this prompted her to look up information on ageing with a spinal cord injury, with a search bringing up the spinal cord injury charity.

She was then was supported with a referral to a spinal unit, where she received specialist care, said SIA.

Ahead of the Peak District challenges, Jenks said she had always been quite an outdoor person.

"I am scared of heights and I've not abseiled from that height, but when this came up, I thought yeah, do this for your 40-year anniversary," Jenks said.

"I am nervous, but I'm looking forward to showing that whatever you want to do with a spinal cord injury, you can still do it."

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