After suffering a severe spinal injury resulting in the loss of sensation in the lower part of her body, Tilly Howarth continues to wear her trademark smile and is a beacon of light in a situation that has completely changed her life.
Earlier this year, The Courier reported on Tilly’s injury and the outpouring of support from the communities of Narrabri (Tilly’s hometown) and Coonamble.
Tilly was taken to hospital by her partner Jarred Jose on December 28 with severe upper back pain while 38 weeks pregnant. Shortly after arriving at the Coonamble Hospital, she had lost all feeling from the waist down.
Tilly was quickly sent to Dubbo Base Hospital for an MRI which revealed bleeding on her spine.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was called and Tilly was flown from Dubbo to Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.
Immediately, doctors performed an emergency caesarean to safely deliver Tilly and Jarred’s daughter Philippa (Pippy), and within the same surgery, Tilly was flipped over to undergo spinal decompression surgery.
During the procedure, the medical team discovered the bleeding extended from Tilly’s T1 to T8 vertebrae, which was roughly a 30cm incision.
More recently, Tilly provided people with an update in what she said had been a “wild ride to say the least”.
“At 38 weeks pregnant, I suffered what the doctors think was a spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma. They’re still not 100 per cent sure, but what they do know is that it left me paralysed from the breast down,” Tilly said.
“Since then, I haven’t regained any movement or feeling below that point — but I have learnt a lot.
“I can now transfer to and from the bed, lounges, and car. I’m still working on getting from my wheelchair to the floor, but I can roll, get dressed while seated, and I’m figuring out how to pick up little Pippy without toppling forward (which, without core muscles, is harder than it sounds!). My arms, however, are turning into absolute guns.”
Tilly said her new life with a spinal cord injury had both positives and negatives.
Among the positives, she joked that there was now no need to walk on big shopping trips, she no longer had to open the gates at home, had access to prime parking spots, had VIP concert access and people always want to push her. “So I just relax and enjoy the ride,” she said.
However, Tilly said she now has to check if places are wheelchair accessible, everyday things are now completely different, she has no bladder or bowel control and has to be careful not to trigger dysreflexia (a potentially life-threatening medical emergency that occurs in individuals with spinal cord injuries at or above the T6 level).
“Despite all that, there’s still so much to be grateful for — family, friends, chocolate, cocktails, and most importantly, Pippy and Jarred. Their love and support (and patience) mean everything,” Tilly said.
After 180 days in hospital and rehabilitation in Sydney, the new family were finally planning to head home recently. However, it would be for a short stopover, as they would travel to Burleigh Heads for more intensive rehab — hoping to regain even a little bit of function.
“We’re not sure how long we’ll be up there yet,” Tilly said in her update.
Tilly paid tribute to the Narrabri and Coonamble communities for their ongoing support. “And to our amazing friends and family who came to visit, stay, or break us out of the hospital when we needed it. We would’ve lost our marbles long ago without you,” Tilly said.
“At the end of the day, no matter what we’re facing, we know there’s always someone doing it tougher — and that reminder helps keep everything in perspective.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser is still ongoing and has so far raised more than $113,000 towards supporting Tilly, Jarred and Pippy.
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