Stabbed Abigail leaves hospital

**4me2** · 3rd November 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Stabbed Abigail leaves hospital

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A knife was held to Mrs Witchalls' son before she was stabbed

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Stab victim Abigail Witchalls has been discharged from hospital, a spokesman said on Thursday.

Mrs Witchalls was stabbed in the neck on 20 April in an attempted murder, as she pushed her toddler son Joseph along a lane in Little Bookham, Surrey.

She was left paralysed but regained feeling during treatment at London's Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

Her family said she was delighted to have returned home on Wednesday, with her morale "as good as ever". 

Mrs Witchalls, whose second child is due to be born in January, praised hospital staff for their work.

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The pregnancy is coming on and she is very pleased about that

Martin Hollins, Abigail's father

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"Thank you for your enthusiasm and care. Your expertise and competence have encouraged me and given me confidence to continue to expect improvement," she said.

Her father, Martin Hollins, told the BBC that his daughter was now able to breathe and speak freely and had some movement in her right arm, which allowed her to feed herself.

But he said she remained severely disabled and would still need therapy and nursing care.

"She is so pleased to be coming home. It has given her a lift.

"The pregnancy is coming on and she is very pleased about that."

Mrs Witchalls, 26, has spent the past five months in the Spinal Cord Injury Centre at the hospital in Stanmore.

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Mrs Witchalls has slowly been regaining movement in hospital

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>A hospital statement said she had "made good progress in rehabilitation".

It said: "Abigail has tetraplegia which means she is severely disabled and will continue to need ongoing therapy and nursing care.

"It is expected that her initial stay at home will be temporary as she will soon need to be admitted to a maternity hospital as her pregnancy comes to term."

The hospital said Mrs Witchalls' home had been specially adapted for her needs and she will have NHS carers 24 hours a day. Mrs Witchalls has not yet received any criminal injury compensation. Her family has set up a trust fund for additional long-term care expenses. A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "Abigail has shown great courage and determination over the past seven months and we all wish her the very best for the future."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/s...es/4402604.stm