Nicky's story

On 12 July 2017, 59 year old Nicky was cycling home from her regular yoga class in Kensal Rise when a 34-tonne dumper truck didn’t see her.

Nicky was hit from behind and momentarily dragged under the front of the lorry until she was separated from her bike and landed on the pavement. The truck then ran over her right leg and left foot.

A witness to the accident called 999 and, due to the severity of Nicky’s injuries, London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma team was immediately dispatched to the scene.

“I remember screaming in agony for a long time, the pain was off the scale, until London’s Air Ambulance’s Dr Gareth Grier said ‘Nicky, I’m doctor and I’m going to take all the pain away.’”

Nicky’s right leg was severely degloved and she had broken her knee in two places.

London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma team brought the emergency department to Nicky at the roadside, where they administered life-saving treatment, including administering Ketamine to place her in an induced coma. She was then transported to St Mary’s Hospital for emergency surgery.

Nicky’s leg was in critical condition and the first doctor who examined it at St Mary’s gave it a 50 per cent of survival.

After her second surgery, the outcome of Nicky’s leg had become more positive, and the likelihood of amputation was thankfully decreasing. Four more surgeries, numerous procedures and four and half weeks later, Nicky was discharged, with her leg in plaster from thigh to toe due to the fractured knee.

Nicky’s degloved leg had to be repaired by harvesting skin from her thigh, resulting in donor sites across both legs. “I had to go into hospital twice weekly to have both the original wounds’ and donor sites’ dressings changed, but that meant having the plaster taken off each time – it was a bit problematic!”

With impressive mental strength, Nicky endured months of strenuous rehabilitation and physiotherapy. “When I first came out of plaster, my knee couldn’t bend at all,” described Nicky.

“The rehab was hard, but I had to recover fully, not just for me, but for my husband and my friends and family,” said Nicky. 

As 2017 ended, Nicky began to reflect on what had happened and realised she wanted to give back to London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

“My recovery started with this amazing charity, so I decided to fundraise for them with a swim. Starting on 19 December 2017 and finishing on the first anniversary of my accident, during that time I swam 175 miles, and raised over £6,000. Dr Gareth Grier came and swam the last mile with me!”

Nicky is now stronger than ever – “due to being made to do 100 squats a day!” – and has made a truly remarkable recovery.

In December 2018, 17 months after Nicky’s accident when amputation was a likely outcome, Nicky returned to the slopes and skiied for the first time since. “I was frightened of hurting myself, but I took my time and I learnt how to believe in myself again.”

Nicky is living life to the full, frequently participating in yoga, skiing, swimming and hiking. “I’m celebrating my life and the lives of all who have supported me.

“I wasn’t aware of London’s Air Ambulance Charity before, but now I obviously am! As soon as I was well enough, I wanted to do something for the organisation, and so I volunteer in the shop at The Royal London Hospital.” Nicky also regularly meets with other patients of London’s Air Ambulance, helping them along their recovery journeys. 

“It is an incredible charity, and I am just so thankful.”