Raina Heverin, a 44-year-old mother of two, sustained a life-changing brain injury after falling 40 feet from a balcony while sleepwalking during a holiday in Paris. The incident occurred on April 26 of last year when Heverin opened a window beside a Juliet balcony in the early hours of the morning, subsequently falling two storeys into a courtyard.
Her brother discovered her motionless on the ground, and she was rushed to a hospital where she remained unconscious for three weeks. Heverin suffered a bleed on the brain, a punctured lung, and fractures to her hip, arm, and ribs. She had been on a long weekend trip to Paris with her brother and sister-in-law. Heverin reported not remembering anything after returning to their accommodation around midnight.
The accident happened after Heverin swapped bedrooms with her brother and sister-in-law. She had complained that traffic noise from the front of the property disturbed her sleep, so they offered her their quieter room at the back. Heverin went to the room after a day of sightseeing but has no memory of the fall, which she believes occurred while she was sleepwalking.
Her brother noticed the bedroom door open at 6 a.m. and initially assumed she had gone for a run, despite her shoes being in the room and the window being open. Upon looking down into the courtyard, he saw his sister lying motionless below.
Heverin's brother and sister-in-law, who did not speak French, received assistance from a neighbor to call for an ambulance. She was transported to a hospital where she remained in a coma for three weeks. Her family believes that if she had been found only a few hours later, she would not have survived.
Before the accident, Heverin was an active mother who managed two businesses while raising her children, Cian, 10, and Aliyah, eight. She exercised daily, including running 10km, cycling, weightlifting, and attending fitness classes. Doctors later informed her family that her previous physical fitness played a role in saving her life.
Heverin spent two months in a French hospital before returning to Britain. She then underwent rehabilitation at Whiston Hospital for a week, followed by five months at Broadgreen Hospital, and a further period in a specialist brain injury rehabilitation unit starting in November.
She was diagnosed with ataxia, a neurological condition affecting balance, coordination, and muscle movement, in addition to a brain bleed and polytrauma. Heverin now experiences difficulties with balance and has tremors in her hands, body, and throat, making everyday tasks like applying mascara or holding a coffee cup challenging. She has had to relearn basic activities.
Her first memories after waking from the coma involve her husband, Michael, reading to her. She described feeling disoriented and unaware of what had happened. Heverin expressed that she is still grieving her old life and experiences fluctuating emotions, feeling both lucky and unlucky.
To help her children understand her condition and the changes they have observed, Heverin has written a children's book. She has also raised over £4,000 for The Brain Charity by completing a three-mile walking challenge, involving 40 laps of her garden over four days, supported by friends and family. Heverin described this as a massive achievement and feels optimistic about the future, stating, "It feels like a massive achievement. I'm excited for the future, because I know it can only get better."
When offering advice to others in rehabilitation, Heverin encouraged them to persevere, acknowledging that while there will be difficult days, there will also be good ones. She concluded, "Don't give up, keep going. You're going to have some bad days, but you're going to have good days too. There's a life that's worth living."