03:00PM, Sunday 23 August 2015
An England rugby player is celebrating achieving high A-level grades after battling back to full fitness from a freak accident that left her fearing she would never walk again.
Ruth Dow, of Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, will head north to Manchester University in September to study psychology after achieving an A in PE and Bs in psychology and human biology.
The 19-year-old is happy with her results after she had to contend with the pressure of studies while trying to recover from the serious injury suffered during a game for London Wasps in November.
“It was a freak accident,” said Ruth, who attended LVS Ascot in London Road, Ascot.
“There was no one around me, I jumped up to catch the ball, landed on two feet and fell to the floor. I thought I had broken my leg.”
Scans at the hospital came up clear so Ruth was sent home, but was then rushed back to hospital the following night at 1am with compartment syndrome, a condition resulting from increased pressure in a part of the body.
Doctors cut her lower leg open to investigate what the problem was, but in doing so they cut through a nerve.
“I couldn’t feel the lower part of my leg,” said Ruth, who took up rugby at the age of five because her older brother, Chris, now 21, played.
“I was suffering from drop foot, a muscular weakness which meant I couldn’t move my leg, and then unfortunately I got infected with MRSA as well.”
This meant she had to remain in hospital for two weeks – missing out on vital study sessions – to recover from both the infection and rehabilitate her leg.
The gritty competitor quickly set her sights on a new target if told she couldn’t walk again.
“The first thing me and mum looked up was whether I would be eligible to play in the Paralympics,” said Ruth, who has represented England for the U18s and U20s.
“I’m happy with what I got,” said Ruth, reflecting on her results. “It got me into university, but I did want to do better.”
The former student of Newlands Girls’ School, in Farm Road, will also regroup with the England team in October.
Most read
Timothy Seale, left; Natasha Carroll, right.
Top Articles
Disturbing footage of a ‘murderous’ attack in Slough, where a man was stabbed 34 times and then run over by his killer, has been shown at the opening of a murder trial.
Timothy Seale, left; Natasha Carroll, right.
A Maidenhead couple who went on a nine-day crime spree – robbing from multiple shops while armed with weapons – have been given prison sentences of eight and five years each.
A police cordon in place at Burnham Park
‘Reassurance patrols’ will continue in the park, police said, and an appeal has been issued for anyone who might have information to make a report.
© Copyright 2024 Baylis Community Media CIC All right reserved
