Chloe Fox.
Chloe Fox.
Chloe is just like many other teenage girls. When she was 14, she started to think about what university courses she might take after leaving school. Chloe loves art and started looking into an arts degree that would allow her to persue a career in interior design.
However, things changed dramatically on the evening of the 10th of November 2017.
Chloe and some friends were riding their bikes, when Chloe was hit by a speeding motor cyclist. The force of the collision carried Chloe and her bike more than 40m down the road. Surgeons later told her family that based on the extent of her injuries, they thought she had been hit by a speeding truck.
Chloe was rushed to Rashid Hospital in in Dubai’s Healthcare City district. On admission doctors discovered a fracture to her spine, a seriously fractured femur, what is known as an open book pelvic fracture and lacerations to all of her internal organs. However, the most serious injury was major head trauma. The surgeons immediately and simultaneously worked to repair Chloe’s pelvis, as it was a life-threatening injury due to the massive blood loss, and to remove a large section of her skull. The removal of the skull was to allow the bruising to swell outward rather than press against the brain. They then elected to place Chloe into a comatosed state in order to try and let her body recover. At this stage she was given about a 3% chance of survival.
Chloe remained in a coma at Rashid Hospital for six weeks. The specialist told Chloe’s family that if she recovered, she may not be able to talk or control any of her bodily functions.
As the weeks went on it looked like Chloe was going to live, and she was moved to Trauma rehab clinic, Amana Rehabilitation Centre, in Abu Dhabi.
After 4 months, Chloe’s feeding tube was removed and she had to learn the difficult task of eating again. Over the next six months, as Chloe slowly became aware, she went through the processes of learning how to swallow without choking, how to sit up, how to move her hands and focus her eyesight. Gradually she learned how to talk again. It was then time to replace the part of her skull that had been removed in the initial operation. This was carried out at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi. We had initially thought that her own skull piece (which had been preserved) would be used but after quite a lot of research we felt it was better to go with a carbon-fibre and titanium insert as the original skull can shrink and sink in a little. The operation was extremely sensitive and after it, Chloe’s head swelled to double it’s normal size. The swelling took about a month to go down. Chloe started to learn how to recognise letters and objects again and to control her hands enough to eat with a spoon. Every time someone would enter her room she would say, “hi, how are you?” even if they just walked out and back in again. She watched Dirty Dancing about 100 times as if it was the first time she had seen it. Her short-term memory was non existent at that stage.
By August 2018, Chloe was ready to progress into moving home. The house had been equipped with a stair lift and ramps, as well as a small pool and hoist so that Chloe could continue her aqua therapy. We checked clinics in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the U.S. but we found that some of these clinics had facilities here in Dubai.
After intense therapy both in the UAE and overseas, Chloe progressed from a wheelchair to a rolling walking frame and then to crutches.
Chloe’s short-term memory has improved but it is still very challenging for her. Her walking is slow but there is improvement, and she is in the process of completing her high-school education.
Chloe’s original prognosis was that she would never be able to walk or communicate effectively, she would not be able to carry out any basic functions on her own and would need constant care.
Happily, the prognosis was wrong.
Chloe has come from a 3% chance at an incapacitated life, to the sweet caring, active person she is today. Someone who thinks for herself and can operate somewhat independently.
The physical damage, has now healed , although Chloe still has a number of links and pins supporting her pelvis and a titanium rod in her left thigh from the original fracture. The brain trauma was serious, and it is a miracle that she survived, but it has created the lasting effect on her walking and memory function. The brain messages to Chloe’s leg, are a little weak or scrambled, so she struggles to make her leg do what she wants. Chloe is still challenged by short term memory loss but that too is improving slowly. Chloe wants to do more in life and will work towards it.
One of the hardest things Chloe has experience and will continue to go through, is the disconnect from her friends. Chloe as she found herself, not only having to deal with re-building her life but also, having to do it without her friends, who various reasons are no longer part of Chloe’s life.
The Touch organisation has brought a new light to Chloe’s life, she looks forward to meeting the group and she feels like she is part of that community.
Chloe feels like she is appreciated for who she is, rather than “the girl who had that horrific accident” and she knows that whenever she arrives at a Touch meeting, she will be greeted with smiles and hugs from people who are genuinely happy to see her.
Touch also offers Chloe to tell her own story and allows her to share it with a greater audience. She can show that, regardless of the situation, everyone has something to offer and to share.
Touch has helped to build Chloe’s confidence and she is keen to pick up on her plan to work in the interior design field.