Police officer's life 'changed forever' after going to the pub with her mates

Police officer's life 'changed forever' after going to the pub with her mates
Mairead Clabby was just 23 when she was attacked while off-duty and left with serious neck and back and brain injuries
She suffered years of debilitating pain after she was assaulted as a volunteer police officer
It was an ordinary evening at the pub that would forever alter the life of Mairead Clabby. In December 2012, the then 23-year-old volunteer police officer had gone for a pint with some colleagues on the Wirral.
Despite being off-duty, the group of officers were called into action when a violent row erupted between a couple, leaving the woman unconscious. As Mairead rang for medical help while her colleagues apprehended him, the woman regained consciousness and attempted to force her way back to his side.
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For her own safety, Mairead intervened, but the woman turned violent, kicking Mairead in the stomach, dragging her to the floor, pulling her hair out and throttling her. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
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"It took three officers to restrain her in the end," Mairead remembered. "She yanked my hair and banged my head against the floor. I was left in considerable pain."
I recall trying to persuade one of my colleagues, who I was giving a lift home, to leave because I could sense the atmosphere in the pub shifting," Mairead added. "But sadly, I didn't depart early enough," reports the Manchester Evening News.
"The young officer was left with what she initially thought were muscular injuries to her neck and shoulder. However, despite numerous rounds of physiotherapy over the five years following the assault, there was no improvement."
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It was making me quite ill at times. I suspected there might be something else going on, but I never had any scans. "As time passed, Mairead noticed her strength diminishing. I couldn't lift things in the office, my arm was getting shaky, I was getting quite weak and it was getting to a point where after my shift I was having to have a rest for four or five hours, get up for a little bit, and then go back to bed.
Mairead is now running the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run for the Walton Centre
"I knew something was going wrong. I was bumping into things, I wasn't able to write and type properly and I was losing feeling down like my right arm.
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Mairead returned to her GP and was initially recommended another round of physiotherapy. However, she opted to see another doctor who referred her for an MRI scan.The results exposed four herniated discs in her neck as well as a chiari malformation, a condition where brain tissue protrudes into the spinal canal often resulting from serious whiplash."
"At that point I was the illest I'd ever been," Mairead reflected. "I had put on around seven stone and I wasn't really mobile. I had been a competitive athlete before the assault, but I was struggling doing walks around the block. It was a huge adjustment and it was really getting me down."
Subsequently, she was directed to the Walton Centre in Liverpool, known for its neurology specialisation, where she underwent surgery to remove one of the problematic discs and insert a graft in its place.
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"It was life-changing straight away," she said. "As soon as my feet hit the floor walking around the ward I haven't really stopped. I lost about three stone in three months just from walking again."
With help from the Police Treatment Centre, Mairead commenced her slow journey to recovery, and approximately a year later took up running, previously a competitive sport for her. Having Olympic athletes Eilish McColgan and Michael Rimmer as coaches, she's gradually regaining her strength and fitness.
"Things are so different to how they were. I'm still on medication for my nerve pain and I'm still under the Walton Centre but the operation was really a turning point. "
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Mairead is set to participate in the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run this Sunday, aiming to fundraise for the Walton Centre. She expressed her excitement about the challenge, especially running alongside Greater Manchester's own star, Keely Hodgkinson, who'll be starting the event.

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Daily Mirror

a day ago

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