WashPod temporary disabled wetroom gets top event rider home from hospital after a life-changing fall
The rapid installation of a WashPod temporary disabled wetroom has allowed Saffron Cresswell, a young, talented international event rider, to get home from hospital after a devasting fall at Defender Braham Horse Trials left her paralysed from the waist down.
“I would still be in hospital if I hadn’t been able to wash myself at home and our house was definitely not equipped for me” said Saffron. “The WashPod has allowed me to come home to my family and horses where I can continue my rehabilitation work and decide on what my future now holds”.
The rental of the WashPod was funded by the British Eventing Support Trust charity and it was installed ready for Saffron’s return home, exactly 4 months to the day after her accident last summer. She fell at one of the demanding cross-country jumps and broke her back in two places leading to a spinal compression that has resulted in her paralysis. After an operation at Leeds General Infirmary, she was lucky to get a place at the Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre (YRSIC) at Pinderfields Hospital near Wakefield.
“There have been many things to think about, that I would never have considered before my accident” said 23 year-old Saffron. “It’s all about getting to a point where you can live independently and having the WashPod has certainly given me a head start in feeling I can do things for myself.”
“I’m very lucky to have support from the charity BE Support Trust, and from friends and family who are fundraising for me, so I that I have been able to continue the rehab at home. I know rehabilitation is an ongoing process that will never really stop.”
Saffron is positive about the future and is hoping to pursue a career in sports commentating while enjoying competitive wheelchair racing to keep her ambitious spark alive.
“Life does not end with spinal cord injury” she says. “It is the beginning of a new life – a new normal life.”
The BE Support Trust was founded in 2021 to provide medical, financial and mental health support to British Eventing members who compete.
The Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre (YRSIC) is a purpose built, 34-bed centre with dedicated rehabilitation