I will never give up on a cure, says model paralysed by falling man

A former model who was paralysed when a man fell on her is fundraising for Spinal Research in the hope her condition may one day be cured.

Lorraine Mack was a successful TV presenter and model when she was crushed by the man who fell off a balcony in a nightclub 10 years ago.

Confined to a wheelchair with limited upper body movement, the 40-year-old is now campaigning for the charity which may be her only hope of walking again.

Recalling the accident, she said: “At the time I remember feeling like it was in slow motion.

“I thought someone had hit me from behind or was starting a fight — all I remember is just falling backwards and hitting my head. I couldn’t feel any pain though, nothing.”

After spending 10 months in the specialist unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital Miss Mack returned to her family home in north London but struggled to adjust to life in a wheelchair.

“The simplest things that I took for granted I now can’t do,” she added. “I couldn’t do my own hair or make-up for a while, I can’t go out and walk arm-in-arm with my mum.

“I just said to myself ‘I can’t live like this’ and decided I was going to fight it and encourage everyone else suffering to as well.”

Miss Mack, who also worked as a make-up artist, said the Paralympics gave the public a false impression of the reality of living with disabilities. I won’t lie, I think people sugar-coat the situation. The world saw these people who looked as though they had accepted their disabilities. But I don’t accept it, and I never will.”

Miss Mack requires 24-hour care and works with therapists every day to try to recondition her body. “I’m trying the best I can so that if and when there is a cure I’ll be ready for it.

“Obviously I have down days when I don’t feel good about life or optimistic, but you can’t ever give up.”

Among her many fundraising efforts — she has so far raised £20,000 — was a tandem skydive in Peterborough and she said: “I absolutely loved the skydiving, I want to do another one of those.”