Superfit mum shares inspirational brain injury recovery journey

Pamela Jack, 47, suffered multiple life-changing injuries after being hit by a tractor while on a training run with a friend.

She sustained a moderate-to-severe brain injury, a fractured pelvis, six fractured ribs, two fractures to her left knee, damaged teeth and temporary sight loss in her left eye.

Yet after being treated in hospital the lockdown measures of COVID-19 meant the mum-of-two from Houston, Renfrewshire had no access to NHS physiotherapy to continue her recovery.

But with help from our Serious Injury team, Pamela instead took initiative to manage her own recovery by securing access to independent gyms, taxis and specialist sessions.

Pamela is now going to speak at the Head Injury Information Day in Glasgow next week where she hopes to inspire other survivors of acquired brain injuries.

She said: “I’ve always been committed to whatever I set my mind on and being hit by a tractor didn’t change that side of me.

“I wasn’t going to sit back and be a victim to my injury so COVID and a lack of physios weren’t going to stop me – the way I see it is your health should mean more than any cost.”

Pamela’s life changed in October 2019 during a routine Sunday morning run.

She and a friend were on the B786 single track road near Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire when she was hit by a tractor.

Pamela – who ran the 2019 London Marathon in just four hours – said: “I don’t remember anything about the impact itself.

“I only remember waking up in hospital feeling a lot of pain across my body and being confused as to how one full week had passed.”

She spent 17 days as an inpatient at the high dependency unit at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan, Glasgow.

After multiple surgeries, the superfit runner was left with two metal plates in her left hip and seven pins in her knee – she also needed a Zimmer frame for months after being released home and relied on a walking stick for nearly two years.

But when COVID-19 hit in early 2020 it halted Pamela’s physiotherapy.

She said: “I had the option of waiting for NHS services to reopen but I had no idea how long that would take during lockdown.

“I know how important the early days are for having a positive, lasting impact on my future recovery so I was keen to do whatever was needed.

“No one was going to do the recovery for me – I knew I had to put in the work and I knew an early start was key.

“It’s my body, my brain injury and my life so I made my recovery my responsibility.

“So lockdown or not, I was determined.”

Digby Brown has supported Pamela since her accident and helped make private socially-distanced arrangements to aid her recovery.

This included setting up a taxi account, accessing a personal trainer, a private gym and a hydrotherapy tank.

Pamela, who has been married to husband Iain for 11 years, said: “I was a marathon runner, worked four days a week and was a hands-on mother to two young boys.

“The physical injuries were tough as I had to learn to walk again and that felt harder than running a marathon.

“But the brain injury is what changed my life as it impacts your emotions, personality, patience with others and leaves me fatigued – I also lost my driving license for a year until I was cleared to drive again.

“The total costs of sorting my own physio work came to about £10,000 - it will be deducted from a future legal settlement but I’d rather invest in my health now so I can stay an active wife and mum.

“But I’m lucky to be here and I am committed to working hard each day.

“I don’t want to waste time mourning my past when I could instead focus on a positive future.”

Chris Stewart, Partner and Head of our Serious Injury department, said: “When you consider the extent of Pamela’s injuries it makes it all the more remarkable when you consider the way she has responded to those injuries.

“If even one person feels inspired from hearing Pamela’s journey then maybe it can help create a more positive future for another family.”

Pamela’s story was reported in Daily Record.