Mom left with life-changing injury after sleepwalking off 40ft balcony on vacation
A fit and healthy mum suffered a serious brain injury while holidaying in Paris with her family after she fell two storeys from the townhouse where they were staying.
Raina Heverin from Liverpool in the UK had been staying in a townhouse in Paris, where she had hoped to take in the city over a long weekend.
"We had spent the day walking around Paris - it was awesome, we had food and went everywhere," she said.
The 44-year-old had asked to swap rooms with her sister as her room at the front of the townhouse had traffic noise from the road outside, so she had gone into the more tranquil back bedroom, which had the Juliet balcony.
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During the night, Raina fell from the Juliet balcony, saying that she has no memory of the trip after they arrived back at their accommodation, only waking from a coma three weeks later.
"We went went back to the apartment at about midnight - but I don't remember anything after that," she said.
The drop was some 40ft, and caused severe injuries including a broken hip, ribs, and arm, a punctured lung, and a bleed on her brain.
"If I had been found a few hours later, I definitely wouldn't be here," said Raina.
She believes that she fell from the window while sleepwalking.
Raina's brother noticed she was missing from her room at around 6am the following morning, assuming she had gone out for a jog until he saw that her shoes were still there and the window was open.
To his horror, when he looked out of the window he saw Raina lying in courtyard two storeys down, and a neighbour helped to call an ambulance.
"My brother and sister-in-law were in disbelief," she said. "It was really horrible for them."
Raina had run two businesses while also looking after her children, as well as exercising every day and doing regular 10k runs, weightlifting, and going to fitness classes.
Her health and fitness paid off, as a doctor in France said that this had been a factor in saving her life after the horrible accident.
Raina is now adjusting to life after her fall, saying: 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."
She would spend a total of two months in hospital in France before returning to the UK, where she was in hospital until November.
Raina also said that despite her recovery, she sometimes finds it difficult to come to terms with what happened.
She was diagnosed with ataxia, and experiences problems with her balance, as well as tremors in her hands, throat, and body.
"I think I'm still grieving my old life," she said. "I go through periods of being happy and sad at the same time."
She added: "The world has kept turning while I've been in hospital."
But despite this, Raina has kept busy, writing a children's book as a way to help her own children understand that happened to her.
She is also physically active, completing 40 laps of her garden over the course of four days, equating 5km, and raising £4,000 for The Brain Challenge.
"It feels like a massive achievement," she said. "I'm excited for the future, because I know it can only get better."
Kit Roberts