Teen's amazing recovery as rare disorder left her paralysed and fighting for life

Saturday, March 19, 2011, 07:50

Student of the year: Rachel Attridge, 17, thought she would die from a rare condition.

A PROMISING young student was left fighting for her life after she was struck down by a rare immune disorder.

Rachel Attridge, 17, thought she would die after she ended up on life support, unable to speak or swallow food.

Now, the brave youngster has been named Student Of The Year at East Riding College after fighting back from life-threatening illness.

Rachel, who shed three-and-a-half stone and was paralysed in intensive care, said: “At my lowest point, I said, ‘Switch the machine off.’

“I just thought, ‘This is it, I am not going to get any better’.

“When I was on life support, I knew everything that was happening around me but I couldn’t move or shout, I couldn’t even speak.”