Paralympian left paralysed in 20s fundraises for device for ‘feeling of freedom’ again after 50 years in wheelchair

A Paralympian who was left paralysed from the waist down after attempting to take her own life by jumping off a roof is fundraising for a mobility device to give her the “feeling of freedom” again after 50 years in a wheelchair.

Janet McMorran, 74, a former British number one wheelchair tennis player, suffered life-changing injuries after jumping off a roof in 1974, aged 24 – she broke her back and “smashed” her right ankle to a “squashed meringue” consistency.

The Herefordshire resident had picked up a tropical disease while working in Africa and had been in such “deep, dark depression” after returning to the UK that she “couldn’t see any other way” – but after surviving the fall, she felt “unbelievably lucky” to be alive.

It was not until 1986, aged 36, that she “discovered there was a sport that (she) loved” – wheelchair tennis – and she went on to have an illustrious career, competing in several Paralympics and achieving the title of British number one.

However, due to overuse of her arms from training and competing, this has left her with severe osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, and she now relies on the use of an electric wheelchair, meaning she is no longer “active”.

This has affected her physical and mental health, and now, her personal care assistant and friend of nine years Kate Trussell, 42, has decided to swim 1,500m in the English Channel to raise £8,000 to go towards a new Omeo mobility device.

Kate said this device, which has unique balance-based movement technology, has been described by users as the closest thing to walking and a true sense of freedom, and it will give Janet her independence back and help her keep “fighting”.

“It’s a wonderful feeling of freedom being in (the Omeo),” Janet told PA Real Life.

“I love to be active, I love to be outdoors… and it’ll help my mental and physical wellbeing because it’s being outside again, it’s taking me outside.

“If I go for a walk with my husband, I’m just sitting there like a jelly, so this will enable me to exercise and I can’t wait for that.”

Kate added: “When Janet trialled the Omeo, there was another chap there as well, and both of them were saying that the freedom they felt from having this was like no other chair out there, it was like the freedom they felt of walking.

“Janet always says, ‘People aren’t going to think of me because I’m an old lady’, but it doesn’t matter how old you are. Why should your age stop you from doing and having the life that you should have?

“Nobody should be stopped from trying to better their lives.”

At the age of 21, Janet travelled to work in Kenya, East Africa, and returned to the UK two years later – but unbeknown to her at first, she had picked up a tropical disease caused by a tapeworm species.

She received treatment at The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and she later developed hypomania – periods of over-active and high energy behaviour – which made her feel “high as a kite” 24/7.

After being sent to a psychiatric hospital, she then underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), where small electric currents are passed through the brain, before being discharged.

However, when she returned home to live with her parents in Worcestershire, Janet said she felt lost and started to spiral into a “deep depression”.

After entering what she describes as a “black tunnel” and feeling there was “no other option”, she tried to take her own life in July 1974, aged 24.

“Having been very high with the ECT and the tablets, I went right down, down, down,” Janet said.

“I knew that I couldn’t see any other way forward than taking my own life, getting rid of myself. I couldn’t see any way forward.”

Janet said she jumped off the roof of her house at around 3am and, due to landing on her feet, this caused her to break two vertebrae in her back and her right ankle.

After being taken to Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Shropshire, where she remained for a year, she underwent several operations and was told by a physio her right ankle resembled “squashed meringue”.

The fall left her paralysed from the waist down and with intermittent nerve pain – but she said she feels “so grateful to have another chance at life”.

“Since that happened, I promised myself I’d never be negative again and I’ve become an ultra-positive person ever since I broke my back,” Janet said.

“I always look on the bright side, I’m an eternal optimist.”

Janet went on to marry her husband Will, 70, in 1980 and has three children – Donald, 40, Roland, 38, and Hugo, 35 – and initially attempted to try to walk using elbow crutches.

However, she was told by a doctor that she “will never walk again” and she will need to use a wheelchair permanently.

Later on at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in 1986, Janet saw a wheelchair tennis demonstration and decided to join in – and this is when her love for the sport developed.

“I had been a tennis player before breaking my back, but I thought, I can’t believe that I can play tennis again,” Janet said.

“I didn’t mind using a wheelchair because I could do something in a wheelchair that I loved doing, so I didn’t care any more about the image or anything about using a wheelchair.”

Janet loves “experiencing the wind” while playing tennis and the tactics of the sport, and she has travelled the world to take part in several competitions, including the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.

Achieving the title of British number one wheelchair tennis player was a particular highlight during her career, along with ranking number six in the world in singles.

However, Janet has not been able to play tennis since 2005 because her “arms gave up” and she developed osteoarthritis in her elbows, leading her to rely on the use of an electric wheelchair.

She has since tried various careers in sports massaging, leather work, and handwriting analysis and said a Catholic pilgrimage to Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “changed (her) life” but she misses being active and going outdoors.

Seeing Janet’s “daily struggles with life” and her lack of mobility in her arms prompted Kate to look into the Omeo – but with the £18,000 price tag, they knew they needed to fundraise in order to purchase the mobility device, which is described as a two-wheeled self-balancing platform which allows users to interact with the world in a new way.

In a “spur of the moment” decision, Kate decided that, on June 8 2024, she will jump into the English Channel and swim 1,500m as part of the Dartmouth Triathlon weekend to raise money for Janet.

Having raised more than £6,500 out of an £8,000 target so far, Kate said it is “brilliant” to see everyone’s generous donations – and Janet said the fundraiser has given her “hope”.

Kate said: “Janet is a massive inspiration for other people that maybe have disabilities or have suffered with depression.

“I think she’s an incredible person to have had this happen and be in this position and then still, especially at the age she is now, fighting.

“I’ve seen many people just give up on life when something drastic happens to them, so I think it’s an inspiration for hopefully many people to see that, no matter your disability, you can still go on and thrive.

“From the darkness can come light.”

To donate or find out more, visit the fundraiser here: gofundme.com/f/janet-get-a-omeo-wheelchair

For mental health support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org