Lucy Lowe has thanked everyone who helped raise £30,000 so she could return home

A paralysed mum-of-four, who has been separated from her family for 21 months, is finally returning home to Ottery today.

Lucy Lowe, 38, was injured in a freak accident on her wedding night and complications following surgery to remove her coccyx left her hospitalised and confined to a wheelchair for life.

The family suffered further devastation when they learnt they were not eligible for any grants to finance the £30,000 renovations needed at their St Budeaux Close home - and were forced to embark on a fundraising mission.

Almost two years down the line, Lucy says she has missed so much of her children’s lives, but is ‘over the moon’ to be able to put the ordeal behind her and begin again as a normal family.

She said: “Thank-you so much to everyone for all the support we have been given through fundraising, precious words, messages of encouragement and practical help. We couldn’t have managed without you all. It is very exciting to be going home to just get back to normal family life.

“It has been a very stressful time and really not nice to be away from my husband and children for so long. I have missed out on family life – holidays, birthdays, exams – everything really.”

Lucy spent months in Ottery Hospital before moving on to Mardon Neuro Rehabilitation Centre. She has been ready to be discharged for some time, but has been forced to wait while her home was being renovated.

Her story made national headlines, but a breakthrough came when an Ottery resident saw an appeal in the Herald and got in touch to offer £15,000 of her savings to help reunite the family.

This meant work could get under way on the property, but Lucy has still faced a long battle fraught with uncertainty while she struggled to raise the final amount needed.

Now, she says she is just looking forward to settling into her new ground-floor living space.

Lucy confirmed there is no hope for any further improvement in her condition, but she does hope to get back to work at some stage and, in the meantime, will just enjoy the time with her family.