A young woman who was left with severe brain trauma after being hit by a truck has bounced back to compete in the prestigious Miss England pageant.
Marini Durrer, originally from Kensington, London, was left with permanent brain damage after a 32-tonne lorry crashed into her as she got off a school bus when she was just 13.
The student, who now lives in Geneva, Switzerland, was put in an induced coma and spent two months in intensive care while doctors battled to save her life.
The accident has impacted every area of her life, and she was forced to quit her job as a biotechnology researcher after suffering memory loss. he was even told she would never work again.
But the brave teenager exceeded all expectations and set up a foundation, with the help of her mum, to help other survivors of accidents.
Now, she has set her sights on competing in Miss England this summer.
‘After my accident, I was told I would never be able to work again. I got told my life was over because I had too many memory problems,’ says Marini.
But you can’t tell I had an accident because I can still function – some of my friends don’t believe this happened to me. A lot of people don’t have that luck.
‘It is a dream of mine to go on Miss England, I used to watch it on TV but I never imagined myself doing anything like that.
‘I realised I had wasted years of my life after the accident and it was time to start living.’
Marini doesn’t remember anything from the day of the accident, but has been told she was crossing the road on her way into school when she was hit just as she got to the opposite pavement. The truck driver didn’t see her.
She was airlifted to hospital and spent two months recovering, but surgeons couldn’t operate on her brain due to the sensitivity of her injuries and the risk of further damage.
Marini’s accident affected the part of her brain which affects emotions, so she feels things more strongly than others, the accident also left her with anxiety and migraines. She missed a whole year of school while she was recovering.
Marini first wanted to take part in Miss Switzerland, but after taking part in a smaller pageant in the country has now set her sights on Miss England, which she can enter because she has dual nationality.
If Marini makes it through to the semi finals of the prestigious beauty contest, she will take part in an eco-fashion show in the Midlands, where contestants are invited to create an outfit from recycled materials.
‘I am so scared to go up on stage,’ explains Marini. I suffer from anxiety due to my accident mostly, but the thought of overcoming both that and of being scared of other people made me keep going.
‘Because of my accident I can have a problem at any moment, but I need to live for myself and not other people.
‘I have to be voted into the semi-finals, and it would mean the world to me to get there.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/27/woman-left-brain-damaged-hit-truck-set-compete-miss-england-12131200/
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