Mum bedbound with paralysis and told she’ll ‘never walk again’ after slip while bringing the washing in

A MUM has been left permanently paralysed after slipping while rushing to bring laundry in from the rain.

Tara Stovold, from Chorley, Lancashire, landed on her bum in July 2025 after slipping on the wet decking.

But the 34-year-old said she ‘didn’t think much of it’ and assumed she’d just pulled a muscle.

It was only after she woke up the following morning and realised she was numb down her left leg and saddle area that she rushed to hospital.

Here, she claimed, doctors told her she had a broken coccyx that would take eight to 12 weeks to heal and wasn’t given an MRI.

However, the mum-of-four’s pain worsened over the next three weeks before she suddenly discovered the right side of her body was “completely numb” and she became incontinent.

After rushing back to hospital in August 2025, she was shocked to be diagnosed with a rare but emergency condition, cauda equina syndrome (CES), where the nerve roots at the base of the spine (called the cauda equina) are compressed.

CES is a medical emergency – the cauda equina, the “horse’s tail” of nerve roots that spread out from the lower spine, controls bladder, bowel and sexual function.

Symptoms of CES include sciatica – pain in the buttock radiating down one or both legs – and or lower back pain.

Other symptoms can also include difficulty starting to pee, or impaired sensation of urine flow, weakness in both legs, loss of sensation of rectal fullness – not sensing when you need to pass a stool – and sexual dysfunction.

CES is also more common in women. The main cause is a slipped disc.

Why some slipped discs cause cauda equina and others don’t isn’t clear, but possible reasons include inflammation levels, the size of the patient’s spinal canal and whether the blood supply to the nerves is interrupted.

CES can also be triggered by major trauma from car crashes and slipped discs during sports injuries, which physically crush the nerves.

Following multiple surgeries in August and September 2025, Tara was left feeling “empty” when she was left paralysed and was told she’d never walk again or regain bladder and bowel function.

Now “grieving” her former life, Tara is sharing her story to spread awareness of the condition and urge people to not be afraid to take no for an answer if a diagnosis doesn’t feel quite right.

Recalling her traumatic ordeal, Tara said: “It’s shocking that a mundane, everyday chore has led to my whole life changing.

“We’ve done so much stuff as a family and a mundane task like hanging the washing out is what’s caused it.

“The washing line goes over our decking so I slipped on the decking. It was painful and I had a bit of a cry.

“I brushed it off and thought I pulled a muscle and that it’d be bruised in the morning.

“I went to bed that night and had some ibuprofen and paracetamol. I woke up the next day and was totally numb down my left leg and my left foot was swollen as well.

“I had numbness in my saddle area and I couldn’t feel anything between my legs. I was concerned.”

After returning to hospital three weeks, an MRI scan confirmed she had CES and underwent surgery.

Tara then had two further surgeries after developing E-coli, sepsis and staphylococcus in the wound in her back, which left her paralysed on her right hand side due to inflammation.

She now requires a catheter, her feet have permanently turned inwards and she’s been told she’ll never walk again.

Tara said: “It’s not easy being told you’re never going to walk again and not know whether that could have been prevented.

“When I slipped I blew a disc in my back and it crushed the nerves at the cauda equina level so they were crossed for more than the 24 to 48-hour emergency period.

“Because they were crushed for so long it’s caused severe nerve damage that’s left me paralysed.

“I felt empty [to be told I’d never walk again], I put a lot of blame on myself.

“In the moment I didn’t think about me, it was how it’s going to affect everyone else’s life around me.

“I was in a really bad place emotionally and mentally trying to grieve a life that I had and grieve a life we thought we were going to have.

“Currently I’m bedbound on a lot of medication, which is making me very drowsy and very sleepy and I’m in pain 24/7.

“They’re really worried about my knees locking in place too. If they don’t find treatment for it then they will lock and I’ll end up with straight legs as well for the rest of my life

“The one thing I struggle to let go of is CES syndrome is a serious life-threatening medical condition.

“You should have an MRI and surgery within 24 to 48 hours and I went into A&E with red flags.

“I should have been given an MRI but unfortunately I was misdiagnosed, which means that the 24 to 48 hour time period was prolonged to two weeks and six days.

“No one is going to tell me that [if it was detected early it could have potentially have prevented my paralysis].

“I just wish if I’d have known what CES was and if I’d have known the red flags I could have advocated for myself a bit the first time I went into hospital.”

After an occupational health review deemed her family’s home not appropriate for Tara’s needs, she is fundraising to help buy an accessible bungalow.

To date, she has raised almost £4,000 on GoFundMe.

She’s also hoping to spread important awareness about CES and encourage people to advocate for themselves.

Tara said: “It’s difficult and it’s an extra stress put on my family. I’ve got four beautiful children and an amazing partner.

“I was a present mum but if I’d have known it was the last time I was going to walk with my children or the last time I was going to kick a football around I would’ve been more present in life in general. It’s really hard to try and deal with.

“If you know there’s something wrong, listen to your gut, it’s always right. Don’t be afraid and don’t be intimidated by medical professionals. I didn’t have the courage to speak up.

“I’ve found an advocate in my partner. It’s finding that safe person to advocate for you if you don’t feel like you can advocate for yourself.

“Try and not feel guilty because this happened to you. I didn’t cause this to myself, I just suffered the brunt of it.

“It’s okay to talk. I shut the world out for six months and I didn’t talk to anybody apart from my partner, mum, sister and dad.

“When I look back there’s so many people out there that wanted to help and support.

“Accepting that help is hard but it’s necessary.”

A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals spokesperson said: “Whilst we can’t comment on individual patient cases, we would urge anyone with concerns about their care to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service so that a full investigation can be instigated and any appropriate action put in place.”