In our experience
After life-changing accidents, these women have reinvented themselves
‘DISABILITY DRIVES ME TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE’
Sophie Morgan, 38, from London, is an award-winning TV presenter, author and disability advocate.
My mum jokes that for somebody who’s paralysed, I can’t sit still. And she’s right. Disability has been my motivator, driving me to live life to the max and achieve things no one believed possible. I was 18 when I had the accident that left me paralysed. I suddenly lost control of my car and crashed, breaking my back instantly. At one point I was pronounced dead.
When I awoke in intensive care, my jaw was wired, my eye had fallen out, and it wasn’t until the pain subsided that I noticed a lack of sensation when the nurses washed me. Over the next three months in hospital, I underwent facial surgery and my eye was fixed, but the full extent of my spinal injury became clear. I was paralysed from the chest down and told I’d never walk again. But it wasn’t the cliché everyone imagines, when a doctor breaks the news and everyone bursts into tears. For me, the awareness was gradual.
I was scared, of course, with all the fears you’d expect. Would I ever have a boyfriend? Would I be able to have fun, dance, travel? But I had nearly died, and the fears were outweighed by a sense of gratitude at simply being alive. My mum was an incredible source of strength and reassurance – she never left my side and slept holding my hand. Along with my dad, brother, friends and the amazing occupational therapists and physios who helped me, I had a network of support around me that carried me through.
It was only when I left hospital as a wheelchair user that the negative assumptions about disability hit me. People pitied me, assuming I would never achieve much in life. It made me furious. My biggest challenge was not listening to those assumptions. My attitude was: don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. Of course many things were more difficult, but I was determined to live the best life I could within those limitations.
At that point, my dream was to become an artist, and I won a place at art school. While there, I was asked by the BBC to take part in a reality show, Beyond Boundaries, and other bits of TV work followed. Those experiences opened my eyes to the power of television to change perceptions and, frustrated by the difficulties I had encountered, I focused on becoming a TV presenter. My determination paid off, and I’ve co-hosted many documentaries, as well as the Paralympics.
In my latest show, Living Wild, I take an epic road tri
