Brave paralysed mum trialling experimental treatment to help her walk again after 24 years in wheelchair

A PARALYSED woman is set to be one of the first Brits to undergo a life changing experimental treatment which could help her walk again after 24 years in a wheelchair.

Kim Gould, 60, broke her spine in a horse riding accident in 1998 but now she could regain some movement in her legs after being accepted onto a new medical trial taking place in the US.

The pioneering treatment involves implanting a computer chip onto her spine which sends electronic signals to the legs and feet.

The mum of one, from Hastings, told The Sun: “I’m so excited - the results are quite amazing.

“I thought my age would be against me and because I have been in the chair for 24 years now I thought everything in my lower legs would be dead and gone, but everything is as it should be in terms of my muscles and reflexes.

“This isn’t just helping me but it could be the way forward for paraplegics all over the world. Without people like me going for the trials then progress stops.”

Each device is personalised to the individual patient and previous studies in Switzerland have seen paralysed people stand, walk, swim, and ride a bike after the surgery.

Thousands of people applied to be part of the trial, but Kim is one of fewer than 20 patients to be chosen so far.

'LIKE WINNING THE LOTTERY'

Kim has been paralysed since May 1998 when her horse stumbled at the final jump of a cross country course and she was catapulted into the air.

She hopes that one day the surgery could help her walk but her first ambition is to be able to stand up on her own.

Kim said: “My biggest hope is that I can stand and lock my knees in for a few minutes. It would mean I could dress myself and pull my trousers up.

“For me, that would be life changing. It’s hard work trying to do it in a wheelchair. It would be like winning the lottery.

“If I could transfer without using my arms and shoulders to go from my bed to the chair, or to the sofa. That would be amazing.

“I have no trunk control so my stomach and back muscles don’t really work but nearly everyone who has had the implants so far can control those muscles straight away.

“I would be able to hold myself up and not slouch in a wheelchair. To a normal person it is nothing but to me it would be wonderful.”

Epidural spinal cord stimulation - where electrodes are implanted onto the spine - can restore some voluntary movement and improve cardiovascular, bowel, and bladder function.

The E-STAND (Epidural Stimulation After Neurologic Damage) trial is based at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and will require Kim to fly across to the US once a month for the next 14 months.

PIONEERING TECHNIQUES

Earlier this year a man who was paralysed in a motorbike accident five years ago was able to walk again thanks to the treatment pioneered by Swiss researchers.

Michel Roccati, from Italy, was the first paralysed person to be able to walk this way after the electronic implant was attached to his spine.

Kim also took part in a pioneering trial in 2004 in which stem cells were transplanted from her nose into her spine as an attempt to patch up the break.

She regained some feeling in her torso and was able to stand and crawl for short periods of time.

At the time she was the first British patient to have the operation after the treatment in Lisbon.

Before that stem cell treatment she was told her spine was completely severed but has since been told she has five to ten per cent connection, which she credits to the 2004 surgery.

Kim and her son Karl Matthews, 36, are fundraising to help cover the costs of her trips to the clinic in the US.

She needs to fly out there every four to six weeks for 14 months and stay for around three days each time.