Tammy's remarkable recovery from serious injury

 

When Tammy Finan was 16, she had to face the terrifying prospect that she might never be able to walk again. 
As she was wheeled into surgery in the early hours of September 26, 2018, the Ballinahown teen was given just a 10 per cent chance of walking again and a 20 per cent chance of regaining the use of her arms, after falling from a horse and breaking a vertebra in her neck. 
However, less than 18 months later, Tammy is fully mobile and preparing to sit her Leaving Cert exams in Athlone Community College. It's a remarkable story of beating the odds, undoubtedly helped on by her positive attitude, but as Tammy is acutely aware things could have worked out very differently. 
“The fall happened on September 25. I was horseriding and we were going over a jump and the horse fell, and I fell over his head,” Tammy explains. 
“Of course your instant reaction is to stop yourself from falling, so I put my two hands out and broke both of my wrists, and then my head hit the ground. I went completely numb and couldn't feel anything.”
She realised something was seriously wrong when she couldn't move her hand to let go of the whip. Thanks to her first aid training, however, she was immediately conscious of the importance of staying still, something that significantly increased her chances of recovery. 
“I think the thing that saved me from being paralysed was not moving on the ground when I fell off. We had done first aid in Transition Year and gone over that, and it was really helpful. The sensation was like tingling all over my body but I had no feeling. I asked my Dad was I paralysed and he was saying 'No, you'll be fine.' But I knew well,” she says. 
“The ambulance came and put me on a stretcher and put blocks each side of my head. I was brought to Tullamore for x-rays, and they found out I broke my C5 vertebra in my neck. Usually when you break a C bone you're paralysed.”
With her parents Angie and Aidan Finan by her side, Tammy was rushed to Dublin's Mater Hospital, where surgeon Marcus Timlin had cancelled his other surgeries to operate on her. 
“Dad kept asking the same question, 'What are the chances?', because he didn't like the 10 per cent they were giving me. But I had no choice, I had to get the surgery done because the longer I left it the worse it was getting,” says Tammy. 
“I was in theatre for 12 hours and when I came out the first thing I noticed was my toes moving, so instantly I knew the operation was a success.”
Tammy's positive attitude began to kick in, and she was out of bed and trying to walk within a week. 
“Every time I tried to walk I started fainting, but every day I was lasting for a few more minutes,” she says. “I don't know what it is but I just cannot stay in bed, so that's why I was up after a week. I said I'm not staying longer than that, no way.”
After three weeks, Tammy was on her way to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, where she would spend six weeks rebuilding her strength. 
“I met so many amazing people there, including Sharon Colleran from Athlone and Jack O'Driscoll [Cork sportsman who was left paralysed by a fall]. It was great but it was really hard. I was on a ward where all the others were adults and none of them could walk. Jack and I broke the same bone in our necks, and he's paralysed from the neck down, so that was scary.”
Tammy got home for Christmas, but her trials were not over and in January 2019 she underwent a second operation to reinforce the metal plate in her neck. While she still suffers from severe pain, she has otherwise made a full recovery and was recently cleared to take part in sports again – including horse-riding. However, she is sticking to the gym and swimming for now, although she hopes to return to playing football for Athlone GAA. 
Aside from the physical challenges, Tammy had to overcome the hurdle of returning to her studies. Having just turned 18, she is now preparing to sit her Leaving Cert despite missing more than four months of fifth year. 
“I had the choice to repeat but I decided to carry on with fifth year. I found school very difficult at first. I was so behind and I had to catch up on everything. When I came back to school I had no movement in my neck and the teachers had to get me everything, they were nearly following me around with a chair! 
“I'm still in a lot of pain, but this year is good. After school I have study hub, then I have grinds on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. I'm racing to get assignments done, I'm still catching up.”
Tammy is planning to take a well-deserved year out after her exams, after which she would like to study Occupational Therapy (OT). 
“I feel I need the time off. I can't go into college and put more stress on myself, because it's not helping me mend either. 
“I found the OT side really interesting in Dun Laoghaire. I feel like it would be a rewarding job and I'd like to give back as well. I'm not going to get the points for OT so I'll have to do Arts and go into it after. I'm not putting stress on myself to get high points. Every day, Mam tells me I'm doing well to be even doing my Leaving Cert, once I'm able to sit it they're happy.
“The school helps me with extra support; if I have free classes I fit in extra work and I can takes breaks any time I need.”
Her friends have also been a tremendous support, after the initial shock of hearing about her injury. 
“I usually had football after my horse-riding lesson, but obviously none of the girls heard from me so they knew something was wrong. They heard the next day at school that I was having a serious operation, and they were great coming to visit me after. 
“Before the accident I loved football, the gym, walking the dog, I was very active, so having this injury is horrible because my fitness level is gone down. I get out of breath and tired really easily because I'm holding myself all day. But I'm not on pain relief now, I just deal with it.”
Tammy was recently the recipient of Garda Leadership Award. While the school community are extremely proud of Tammy, principal Eileen Donohoe describing her as “the embodiment of resilience, bravery, modesty and courage”, Tammy is very matter-of-fact about her experiences. 
“There's no point in being down about it, it could be so much worse,” she says. 
“I was kind of giving out about my scars and Dad was like 'Tammy you're lucky you just have scars, some people are in a wheelchair, just take the scars.' And that is so true. 
“I was so lucky, not many people get a second chance. Someone was looking down on me.”