A Manchester University student, who was tragically hit by a car whilst she crossed the road, says she wants to become a surgeon following her treatment at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Molly Turner, 22, was hit by a car after a night out during her first few months at university and was left with severe life-threatening injuries.
“It was my first year at university having moved from Bristol. A group of us were on a night out when I decided to walk home alone after becoming separated from my friends, which I know in hindsight doesn’t seem wise. As I crossed a road I was hit by a car, the car never stopped and it took another passerby to pull over and call an ambulance as I lay on the ground”.
The medicine student was rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary, one of the hospitals run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, where it was discovered she had suffered a broken collarbone and shoulder, fractured pelvis front and back, as well as several internal injuries to her organs.
“I don’t remember what happened, sometimes I think I do but a lot of it is my imagination filling in the gaps, like I vaguely remember a bit where a fireman came. The first thing I properly remember after coming round is being in major trauma at 4am speaking to an anaesthetist and wanting to call my mum. I was still on a spinal board, confused and unaware of the severity of my situation.
“On the day of my injuries I had 12 hours of surgery to fix my pelvis and stop the internal bleeding. I was then in a coma for one or two days before another operation on my pelvis, which was followed by an operation on my shoulder and yet another on my pelvis.
“When I woke from my coma my family were there and I had a feeding tube in. Despite that sight, my family were very stoic and held it together. In total I was kept in hospital for nearly six weeks, it wasn’t until six months after the incident that I was back in my part time job and carrying on with life as I was doing before.
“Being essentially taken out of my life for months was tough, I’m usually very active and love hiking and sailing. But it wasn’t long before I was back walking up a mountain in Wales, admittedly a lot slower than before but I managed, and getting back into sailing. It’s a testament to modern medicine that the human body can go through all that and be back climbing mountains within half a year.
Mr Joseph Alsousou, Trauma & Orthopaedics Consultant Surgeon, was one of the Manchester Royal Infirmary team that cared for Molly and said of her injuries: “Molly presented with severe injuries in multiple areas and it was clear we needed to act fast.
“Seven consultants were present with rest of the team when we received Molly, she was taken to theatre quickly for damage control surgery where we stabilised her condition and applied early surgical fixation. After that she underwent structured rehabilitation which is something we do to ensure the body can recover fully following such severe trauma.
“We’re all pleased to say this case had very successful outcome. It shows how we can take patients from the danger zone of almost losing life from body trauma injuries and get them to a point where they are recovering fully and carrying on with a normal life.
“I’d like to thank Molly for persevering and being very positive with her recovery and to our whole Major Trauma Unit team who worked together to achieve this excellent result.”
Despite the injuries, the pain and the time spent in hospital, the whole experience is one Molly says she does not regret because of the changes and inspiration it has brought to her life:
“I do have a new outlook on life now, the small stuff doesn’t bother me anymore and I value just being happy much more. It toughens you up for sure, but I know I’m very lucky to have recovered like this.
“After seeing the work of the surgeons and other health professionals, I know this is the medical path I want to follow. They were amazing, insanely knowledgeable, and I got to see some of the ins and outs of the different areas they work in. It’s ridiculous how talented they are.
“The staff were also just there for you on a human level, I felt so safe and looked after. I think the support your family need is often overlooked too, but staff at the hospital made sure my family were always kept in the loop and reassured about certain aspects of my care.
“I’m also more grateful than ever for the people I have around me. My parents and sister were constantly by my side in hospital despite living in Bristol and friends I’d only known a short time at university were coming in to visit me. I could not have asked for more and every interaction I had with them made a massive difference. I want them all to know what it means to me.”