A north-east policewoman has admitted she struggled to come to terms with the fact she will never walk again – but is now ready to return to work.
Nikki Thornley was paralysed in a motorbike accident 18 months ago, and has battled to get her life back on the track.
The mother-of-two, of Ellon, is looking forward to returning to work within the next couple of months.
Mrs Thornley had just set off on a motorcycle tour of Europe for her husband Phil’s 40th birthday on the day her life changed forever.
The couple were nearing the Scottish border when the 37-year-old, for reasons that still remain a mystery, lost control of her bike and veered across the dual carriageway into oncoming traffic.
Her memory of what happened next is limited, but for the majority of the next 12 months, her home would be the national spinal unit in Glasgow.
A Mintlaw bobby at the time of the accident, Mrs Thornley said she does not remember when she was told she would not be able to walk again.
Mrs Thornley, who is mum to six-year-old Devan and two-year-old Louie, said: “I don’t remember being transferred to Glasgow, and then I was out into a coma while my breathing regulated, and after that, it’s lots of crazy morphine dreams.
“It’s not just the physical toll, it’s a mental struggle as well, particularly when I was on bed rest and there was nothing to do except think about ‘what if’.
“I think to an extent I’m still coming to terms with what’s happened but you just have to tell yourself this is the way it is.”
Mrs Thornley was released from hospital last August, but admitted it was once she got back home that the real struggle began.
“When you come out of hospital it’s like you’ve been in a bubble, everyone knows what you’re going through,” she said. “But then you’re back in the real world, and every day you reach a new hurdle that you have to overcome yourself.
“Everything is a massive effort, but you just have to push on. At the end of the day, I’ve got two kids that I have to take care of, plus my husband helps a lot.”
After dealing with the challenge of adjusting to home life, Mrs Thornley now hopes to carry that into the workplace.
She said: “I’m working with my supervisor, coordinating my return and hope to go back in a couple of months in an administrative role.”