The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Judo star issues thanks for help on road to recovery
Inverness judo star Stephanie Inglis, pictured, has thanked everybody who helped assist her remarkable recovery from a freak motorcycle accident in Vietnam.
The Commonwealth Games medallist – who was initially given just a 1% chance of survival by doctors – has also vowed to return to the sport she loves and hopes to be home within two weeks.
The 27-year-old paid tribute to her family and friends and the many supporters who collectively donated more than £300,000 to help pay medical costs. Speaking for the first time, Miss Inglis said: “If it hadn’t been for them, there is a big chance I wouldn’t be here today.”
She suffered serious head injuries when her skirt caught in the wheel of a motorcycle taxi and pulled her off the bike in Ha Long, Vietnam.
The Scottish star was initially put in a coma and had a tracheotomy to allow her to breathe. During her time in the Vietnam hospital, she contracted pneumonia, septicaemia and deep vein thrombosis.
Miss Inglis was subsequently moved to Bangkok, in Thailand, before being flown back to Scotland and transferred to the intensive care unit at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital.
As well as regaining her speech, Miss Inglis has been walking short distances. She is continuing her recovery at Cameron Hospital, near Leven in Fife. She said: “Judo was my normal life and I want it to be so again.”