The parents of Angel Lynn have revealed that she has given her mum a hug for the very first time since she was left paralysed. It comes after the family were told to expect the worst on several occasions.
Angel, who had been described as a vivacious young woman, was left unable to walk, talk or eat following the horrific injuries she suffered in September 2020 at the hands of her boyfriend, Chay Bowskill. Angel, who was 19 at the time, was kidnapped as she walked near her Loughborough home in September 2020 and forced into a van which was driven by Bowskill’s friend, Rocco Sansome, reports the Mirror.
It was on the A6 that Angel fell from the van, suffering severe brain injuries that had left her paralysed, leaving her family shaken. Now, there appears to be some hope 18 months down the line.
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The extent of Angel’s injuries was so severe following the accident that she needed emergency surgery for a bleed on the brain. Ever since, she’s been left to suffer from a series of debilitating seizures.
Doctors had feared the worst from the beginning with Angel. After she contracted Covid-19, she nearly died, leaving her family with the potential heartbreak that could come.
“They let us sleep with her all week because they said she wouldn’t make it,” revealed her mum Nikki.
She pulled through though and since the horrific incident, mum Nikki has held her daughter tightly every day, squeezing every ounce of love she could into her daughter’s motionless body. For months, Angel displayed no reaction, but that changed two weeks ago.
For the first time since her kidnapping, Angel reacted to Nikki’s hug, placing her right arm around her mum in return. With a hand lightly pressed on Nikki’s back, Angel then moved to stroke her hair.
It’s a moment that Nikki thought would never happen. She, husband Paddy and the rest of Angel’s family had been told on several occasions that Angel could die, making the hug all the more special.
“She just put her hand straight around my back and started tapping me,” Nikki said. “She didn’t hug much before, she was a typical teenager, but she would give you a hug if you were upset. It’s very special to have that hug now.”
Bowskill was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in January after being found guilty of kidnap, controlling and coercive behaviour and perverting the course of justice, while Sansome was jailed for 21-months for his part in the kidnap. It was a decision that angered the Lynn family, with the Court of Appeal increasing Bowskill’s jail term to 12 years two weeks ago.
As coincidence would have it, it was during this stressful time for the family that Angel make her incredible breakthrough. If a hug wasn’t a big enough achievement, Angel, who is now 21 and receives round-the-clock care, has smiled and even attempted to blow a kiss.
She has also waved, held the TV remote and written words in response to questions, all using her right hand. She’s also making noises too - a sign that could eventually lead to her to revealing exactly what happened to her on that fateful day.
“A doctor once rang me and said, ‘Nikki, you will have to accept Angel isn’t going to pull through this’,” recalled Nikki, aged 54. “His exact words were ‘miracles do happen, but in Angel’s case there is not going to be a miracle’. But there has been a miracle. That hug was a miracle. She used to look straight through you, there was nothing in her eyes at all. She can now smile spontaneously.
“When she started making the sounds we gave her a pen and paper and said ‘Are you ok? Are you in pain?’ And she wrote ‘No’. She can give you a thumbs up for yes. She can now press her nurse’s button to wind them up, she gets that humour.”
“She had a cheeky sense of humour. Bit by bit I feel we are starting to get her back.”
Dad Paddy is also overwhelmed by his daughter’s progress.
“She has blown me a kiss,” he said. “She has put her hand to her mouth and holds it there for at least a minute, and then tries to blow. She does try. It means a lot.”
The avalanche of small milestones have coincided with Angel being taken off anti-spasmodic medication, Baclofen. It’s a step they hope can be replicated with her medication for seizures in a bid to get her eating again. Currently Angel is currently fed through a tube to her stomach.
Despite these positive signs, the Lynns know that Angel is still at grave risk of pneumonia, and cannot lie flat. To make her feel like she’s home, the family have brought bedding and towels from home to her carers to aid her recovery. They also do her nails and hair.
Ultimately, the family want her home. However, that will require the construction of an extension to their home so they can have specialist facilities installed. The Lynns would also need to hire a carer - decisions that will cost a lot of money, with the family now doing all they can to fundraise for Angel’s long-term care.
After much hardship over the last 18 months, the family now dares to dream that Angel will get even better. With all the hugs and kisses they give, their belief grows stronger.
“She is locked in, but every time I see her I tell her ‘Don’t give up, keep trying, keep telling yourself you can do it’,” said Nikki.
To donate to the Angel Lynn fundraiser, click here.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiVWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmxlaWNlc3Rlcm1lcmN1cnkuY28udWsvbmV3cy9sb2NhbC1uZXdzL2FuZ2VsLWx5bm4tZ2l2ZXMtbXVtLWZpcnN0LTY5MjgxODjSAVlodHRwczovL3d3dy5sZWljZXN0ZXJtZXJjdXJ5LmNvLnVrL25ld3MvbG9jYWwtbmV3cy9hbmdlbC1seW5uLWdpdmVzLW11bS1maXJzdC02OTI4MTg4LmFtcA?oc=5
2022-04-09 04:00:00Z
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