Wheeled to hospital in a trolley by '˜kind' neighbour

THE KINDNESS of neighbours and a trolley was all a resident needed when she fell and broke her foot on a Shoreham riverboat.
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Houseboat Neighbour. Jean Simpson who lives on the houseboats in Shoreham, has had a relie on good neighbours for support after having a bad accident on the boat. Pictured is Jean with her  good neighbour, Ray Wick  and her dog, Coco in the trolley used to get her of the boat. Shoreham.S44251H13-HouseboatNeighbour

Houseboat Neighbour. Jean Simpson who lives on the houseboats in Shoreham, has had a relie on good neighbours for support after having a bad accident on the boat. Pictured is Jean with her  good neighbour, Ray Wick  and her dog, Coco in the trolley used to get her of the boat. Shoreham.
S44251H13-HouseboatNeighbour Houseboat Neighbour. Jean Simpson who lives on the houseboats in Shoreham, has had a relie on good neighbours for support after having a bad accident on the boat. Pictured is Jean with her good neighbour, Ray Wick and her dog, Coco in the trolley used to get her of the boat. Shoreham.

Jean Simpson, freelancer, was on her riverboat one evening when her wet slippers caused her to slip and as she tried to steady herself she broke her foot.

Due to the proximity of the riverbank to the road the only way to get Jean to a car to take her to hospital was to transport her in a trolley, normally used to carry building materials.

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A ‘great’ neighbour, Ray Wicks, stepped in to help and wheel her to Accident and Emergency.

Jean Simpson, said: “It was a stupid thing to do, walking in wet slippers, and as I tried to steady myself I twisted my foot and cracked my ankle.

“My neighbour was pushing me so fast in the trolley I was worried I would go over the edge of the bank.

“The other neighbours thought we were larking about. Everyone saw and were trying to take pictures.”

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Jean was initially told that she had ripped her tendons and tore ligaments.

She returned home but after two weeks, and more pain, the hospital called to say that in fact she had broken her navicular bone, inside the foot.

Jean said the nurses were surprised to hear how she had broken the bone as it is usually an injury associated with sports.

After her second hospital visit, her neighbours arrived with a barrel to take her back to her house in.

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Jean said: “It would have been funny if I wasn’t in so much pain.

“I owe so much to my great neighbours and really don’t know what I would have done without them.

“They helped me with shopping, dog walking, kindness and the odd sick joke to cheer me up.

“It really brought it home to me how important community spirit is.”

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Jean now has three weeks left in a boot used to mend her foot but said that she is starting to get cabin fever as she can’t walk too far without being in pain.

At the time she broke her foot she was doing up her house, as she loves DIY. She said she was climbing up ladders and hanging out of windows and didn’t hurt herself once.

Jean added: “I want to thank neighbours for all the help. Hopefully, someone else will read this story and do something for their neighbour. I’m an active, independent person so it was hard to accept help but everyone has been fantastic.”

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