Paralysed teenager back home in Cornwall after 13 months in hospital after horse injury

  • Watch Charlotte Gay's report

A teenager who broke her neck after being thrown from a horse has been welcomed home after living in hospital since April 2022.

Rosey Gregory suffered irrevocable damage to her spinal cord which led to her being paralysed from the waist down.

The injury happened in Wales so for more than a year she was being treated more than 200 miles away from home.

Rosey says it was 'amazing' seeing everyone lining the village roads but it has been 'overwhelming' as well.

Her mum Julia McQuillen-Wright says it's been a "journey from hell" but now she's home and "life is going to be okay."

It was an emotional day for friends and family welcoming Rosey back to Cornwall. Credit: ITV News

Rosey's best friend, Bethany Grigg regularly visited her in hospital regularly. She said that she expected Rosey "to go away for a week and she's been gone for over a year."

Neil Gregory, Rosey's dad, says it's been a "very emotional experience" seeing his daughter go from being in a coma to having a tracheostomy.

"It's difficult to talk about but it is what is it and she's in a much better position than she was."

Keeping physiotherapy up at home will be extremely important for Rosey to maintain and build on her independence. The 19-year-old has already come a long way during her treatment including building up enough strength to use her wrists.

With a bit of extra help, this means she can pick up things such as drinks, and will in the future hopefully be able to open doors for herself.

But Julia says despite these small margins there is a "whole lot of work and a lot of team behind Rosie."

Rosey adored horse riding and won many prizes for her ability to ride and care for the animals. Credit: ITV News

The Rehab For Rosey GoFundMe page has already raised nearly £94,000. Some of the money has already been spent on helping the family adapt Rosey's home and on a new electric wheelchair.

However, the biggest fundraising is still to come as her family is trying to raise money for Rosey to have specialist spinal surgery in America.

Julia says the epidural stimulation would be "a game changer" and help her daughter in multiple ways including the use of her fingers again to helping her bowels work independently.

"This is a life-changing injury, but surgeries like that will do the same and give her back a quality of life that no physio in the world can give her."

Rosey says she's both "excited" and "scared" by the thought of having spinal surgery but it will cost around £140,000 to pay for the treatment.

Julia says she "never thought people would do that for us".

"I keep saying to people, we are eternally grateful."