A mother of two sustained a life-altering brain injury after falling 40 feet from a balcony while sleepwalking during a vacation in Paris.
The incident occurred on April 26 last year when Raina Heverin, 44, decided to switch rooms with her brother and sister-in-law due to noise disturbances outside her front-facing room. Her relatives offered her their quieter room at the back, which featured a Juliet balcony.
Raina, a resident of Liverpool, Merseyside, retired to the room after a day of sightseeing but has no recollection of the fall, suspecting that she was sleepwalking. Early in the morning, her brother discovered the bedroom door ajar and assumed she had gone for a run. However, her shoes remained inside, and the window was open.
Upon looking down, her brother found Raina motionless in the courtyard below. Raina recounted, “My brother and sister-in-law were in disbelief. It was really horrible for them.”
Despite the language barrier, a neighbor assisted in contacting an ambulance for the injured Raina. She was swiftly transported to a hospital with severe injuries, including a brain hemorrhage, a collapsed lung, a fractured hip, arm, and ribs, leading to a three-week coma.
Raina shared, “I was in Paris for a long weekend with my brother and sister-in-law. We had spent the day walking around Paris – it was awesome, we had food and went everywhere. We went back to the apartment at about midnight – but I don’t remember anything after that.”
Before the accident, Raina maintained an active lifestyle, managing two businesses while caring for her children, Cian, 10, and Aliyah, eight. She engaged in daily exercise routines comprising running, cycling, weightlifting, and fitness classes.
Following medical advice in France, her family learned that her physical fitness significantly contributed to her survival. After spending two months in a French hospital, she returned to the UK for further treatment, including stays at Whiston Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital before transitioning to a specialized brain injury rehabilitation unit.
Diagnosed with ataxia, a condition impacting coordination and muscle control, Raina also suffered from a brain hemorrhage and polytrauma, encompassing multiple severe injuries across her body systems.
Presently, she faces challenges with balance and experiences tremors in various body parts, making daily tasks like applying makeup or holding objects difficult. Raina expressed, “It’s hard for me to do normal things – like putting on mascara or holding a cup of coffee. Putting make-up on takes a lot longer. I had to re-learn how to do everything.”
Her initial memories after awakening from the coma involve her husband Michael by her side, reading to her. Reflecting on her journey, Raina shared, “I think I’m still grieving my old life. I go through periods of being happy and sad at the same time. I feel lucky and unlucky. I still feel like I’m in 2025, but it is a year and four months later. The world has kept turning while I’ve been in hospital.”
To aid her children’s understanding of her condition and its impact, Raina wrote a children’s book and raised funds for The Brain Charity through a 5km walking challenge in her garden, supported by loved ones.
Encouraging others undergoing rehabilitation, Raina emphasized, “Don’t give up, keep going. You’re going to have some bad days, but you’re going to have good days too. There’s a life that’s worth living.”
