Danielle was diagnosed with the rare condition that left her paralysed from the neck down, with doctors saying she might never walk again
A woman was left paralysed from the neck down after flying abroad to get weight loss surgery – and was told by doctors that she might never walk again.
At 28 stone and unable to walk, Danielle Peebles was desperate to ‘push her baby grandson around the park’. In summer 2023, she flew to Turkey for a gastric sleeve, fearing a long wait for bariatric surgery on the NHS.
The mum-of-five says the £2,995 surgery went smoothly and went without complication in a ‘beautiful hospital’. But problems began ‘the moment she arrived home’, when she knew she ‘wasn’t right’.
“I was absolutely desperate. I put on a lot of weight over the years,” Danielle told the Manchester Evening News. “It’s a long wait on the NHS for surgery and I appreciate that, no one could really tell me how long that was going to be.
“I was trying to improve myself, and be a better mum and a better nana as quickly as possible as my grandson was about to be born.
“I was doing what I thought was best for us. I was nervous, it was a big operation but it seemed to go smoothly and I was relieved to feel fine afterwards.
“But from the moment I got home, I just couldn’t eat, I couldn’t keep anything down, I could barely have any liquid. That carried on for weeks and months, I just couldn’t tolerate anything.”
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Danielle tried to get help from the Turkish hospital, but started running out of options quickly. “They’re in Turkey and I’m here,” she explained. “They can only give me advice as best they can over email. And they advised me to go to A&E.”
The first time Danielle went to hospital in December 2023, the 42-year-old says she was told by medics that she was seriously dehydrated and she was placed on a drip. But in January 2024, Danielle got more and more poorly, and collapsed after starting to feel her legs go ‘numb’.
Danielle questioned herself, saying: “I’d never had weight loss surgery, so I didn’t know if this was just part of it. But then I collapsed and when I came round, I was paralysed from the neck down and couldn’t walk.”
That began ‘the worst time in [her] life’, as Danielle was diagnosed with the rare condition, nutritional neuropathy – a severe vitamin deficiency. Danielle says she was paralysed from the neck down apart from the worst pain she’s ever felt’ in her feet that flared up at the ‘slightest touch’, leaving her ‘screaming’.
“I don’t think I quite realised that I was paralysed, it takes a doctor to tell you even though you can’t walk,” shared Danielle.
“I don’t think I understood the severity of how poorly I was. Then I was told I had very severe nerve damage and might not walk again.
“The surgical side of my procedure had all been fine, it was how my body dealt with it. You don’t hear that you can get nutritional neuropathy from not eating. You’re not told about these side effects because they’re so rare.”
Danielle, her husband Stephen, and the rest of her family were left devastated as she ‘left her children for months in Salford Royal Hospital’ to recover. “We didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Danielle.
“It really upset me, I had such mum guilt. The surgery had totally backfired.”
Months-long hospital stay
Recovery from nerve damage can be a slow process and Danielle remained at Salford Royal for five months. Slowly but surely, she started regaining sensation in her limbs.
The grandma-of-one says she was blown away by her hospital care. Physiotherapists, support workers and dieticians made Danielle believe that she might walk again if she kept up with her intensive rehabilitation plan.
She even made friends with one of the cleaners who came to her room ‘every day to cheer her up’.
Neurologist Dr Dan Whittam ‘went out of his way, I can’t even explain how above and beyond he went for me’, said Danielle. “He pushed me downstairs for all my tests and took me for all my scans. He really didn’t have to do that.
“It takes a lot of repetitive movements to get the nerves to link back to the brain again. It starts with getting your fingers moving again first.
“The first time I lifted my head up was to give my son a cuddle again after months. I can walk, but I’ve got a long way to go. I’m still doing more than I ever thought I would.”
Danielle has been reunited with members of the medical team responsible for her life-changing care, including Dr Dan, who is now a consultant in the neurology department.
The pair shared an emotional hug as Danielle walked unaided towards him and thanked the Salford Royal for ‘making their mark’ in supporting her recovery.
She said: “Thank you to ‘Dr Dan’ number one for getting me through everything and making me well and all the nurses on the unit and ward L1.”
Speaking after being reunited with Danielle at Salford Royal, Dr Whittam said: “It’s amazing to see Danielle, I almost didn’t recognise her.
“To see her walking without even a crutch really exceeded my expectations and her determination has been inspiring.
“To hear how she’s back enjoying life and feeling so positive, that’s incredible.”
Husband Stephen added: “Danielle has done amazingly and I am so proud of her. She is still in the early stages of her recovery but she is determined to live as normal a life as possible.”