I was paralysed when my baby was seven months old – so we learnt to walk together

A MUM has revealed how she was left paralysed when her baby was just seven months old, meaning they learnt to walk together.

Aiysha Hancock, 21, was perfectly healthy when her daughter Aurora was born 18 months ago.

But then she was struck down by the rare condition Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) for the second time in her life, leaving her in a coma.

When Aiysha, from Porthcawl, South Wales, emerged from the coma she started to learn to walk again – at the same time as her toddler.

Here, speaking to Fabulous Digital, she explains how she fought to get fit for her little girl…

Blinking awake in the middle of the night, I could feel intense pins and needles in my legs.


I'd been feeling the sensation all day and nothing helped. I wiggled my toes and stretched my legs – but it was still there.

I put it down to the aches and strains of being a new mum to Aurora, who was seven months old at the time, and went back to sleep – but felt even worse when I awoke again at 1am.

Even heaving myself up and getting to the end of the bed was a huge effort.

My body felt like it weighed a ton. Something clearly wasn't right.

For more than a month, I lay there unconscious. When I eventually woke up, Aurora had grown so much I almost didn’t recognise her

I was suddenly struck with fear that my childhood condition GBS had resurfaced.

It's a neurological disorder that caused my body to start attacking itself – and paralysed me at just three years old.

I spent six months of my childhood in hospital and had to learn how to walk, talk and smile all over again.

I was even put on a ventilator, because I couldn't breathe unaided.

I called my parents and my dad Stephen, 46, rushed me to A&E at the Princess of Wales hospital, in Bridgend, while my mum Jayne, 41, stayed at home to look after Aurora.

I didn't know if I'd ever see her again.

The last thing I remember is being in A&E and doctors scanning my foot. Then my memory goes blank.

I've been told I started to scream out in pain and begged to be put to sleep, but I don't remember any of this.

The pins and needles I'd been feeling turned into searing agony – as my body attacked its own nervous system.

Doctors were forced to put me in an induced coma to give me the best chance at survival.

Once again, I was put on a ventilator to help me breath and they pumped me full of medication to try to halt the damage on my heart and lungs.

What is GBS?

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a very rare and serious condition affecting the nervous system.

It mainly affects the feet, hands and limbs, causing problems such as numbness, weakness and pain.

Most people with GBS will eventually make a full recovery, but it can cause long-term problems and occasionally be life-threatening.

Symptoms like numbness, pins and needles and muscle weakness start in your hands and feet, before spreading to your arms and legs.

In severe cases, you may have difficulty walking, breathing and swallowing – in which case you should go straight to A&E.

For more than a month, I lay there unconscious. When I eventually woke up, Aurora had grown so much I almost didn’t recognise her.

I tried to say her name but my mouth was paralysed – and I could only manage "Aurrooor".

Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

Until I collapsed, Aurora had been exclusively breastfed – but my mum weaned her when I got ill.

She had all these new fat rolls because she’d been eating three meals a day.

The night I collapsed, I remember looking at my precious baby asleep in the travel cot and feeling my heart break.

I had this terrible fear I would never see her again.


Thankfully I'd survived – and my body was stronger than when this happened to me before.

My muscle memory was better too. Soon I could blink, nod and wiggle my fingers.

With daily physiotherapy, I could eventually move my arms and legs too.

In a strange twist of fate, Aurora and I started learning to walk and talk at the same time – and soon I was struggling to keep up with her.

After nine weeks in hospital, I was sent home with a walking frame and lots of physio appointments lined up.

But I was too weak to care for Aurora, so she stayed with mum full-time.

The night I collapsed, I remember looking at my precious baby asleep in the travel cot and feeling my heart break.I had this terrible fear I would never see her again

Now she is back in the flat I share with my boyfriend Luke Falder, 24, who's been an amazing support.

I can only walk short distances unaided and I get exhausted easily.

My face is still paralysed too – but I'm working on getting my smile back.

Some days it can be difficult because Aurora's so energetic, but I have a lot of support from my parents and I'm so grateful for that.

Aurora is my motivation to keep moving forward. I want to set up a support group for other GBS sufferers.

I can’t push myself at this point because it will wipe me out for the whole week, but I'm taking it one step at a time – and eventually I'd like to run a marathon to raise awareness.

Sometimes it's hard to be patient but I can’t let it get me down. I know I’m lucky to be alive.

Earlier this week, we spoke to a woman who made her childhood sweetheart fall in love with her again after a car crash wiped his memory – now they’re married and have five kids.

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