'I went to sleep and woke up paralysed, now I live in a nursing home at 36'

'I went to sleep and woke up paralysed, now I live in a nursing home at 36'Erica Mays used to be a surfer, a dancer and a gymnastics coachCommentsNewsNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)06:54, 20 Apr 2026View 5 ImagesErica now has to use a wheelchairA woman who once spent her days surfing, dancing and coaching gymnastics has revealed how her life changed overnight when she woke up unable to feel her legs. Erica Mays now lives in a nursing home aged just 36 after a spinal infection left her paralysed from the chest down.‌She had begun working at just 16 as a gymnastics coach, working her way up to assistant manager at an Italian restaurant. “I had the keys, I was doing money drops, I was doing really good,” she says. But she had struggles with sobriety, and a downward spiral led to her eventually finding herself homeless. And that was the root cause of her infection.‌“I was living under a bridge on a piece of styrofoam,” she says. “I had no idea there was an infection spreading through my spine.‌“I thought the guy I was with was my soulmate, but everything just fell apart.”View 5 ImagesErica used to be fit and activeIn the days leading up to her paralysis, Erica says she became seriously unwell. “I had fevers, horrible chills, and I could barely walk,” she says. “I was just trying to survive.”‌After forcing herself to walk nearly two miles, she made it to a hotel, where she finally felt a sense of relief.“I had a shower, a bed, food, and I slept so well that night,” she says. But by morning, everything had changed. “I couldn’t feel my legs. I thought maybe they were just asleep,” she says.“I even told my friend to put me in the bath with hot and cold water to try to wake them up, but nothing worked.”‌She was rushed to hospital, where scans revealed a two-inch abscess compressing her spinal cord, a rare but serious condition known to cause permanent paralysis if not treated quickly. “By the time I got there, I was paralysed from the chest down an...