At the age of eight, Amy was hit by a car, leaving her with life-changing injuries. Now, aged 40 and with a family of her own, she is volunteering for Day One, to help others who have experienced trauma.

"In 1992, summer started early. It was mid-May and the days were warm and sunny. I’d been playing out with a friend who lived down the road, dressed in just shorts and a tee-shirt. But as the evening drew in, it got colder and we ran back up to my house to put on warmer clothes.

"As we came back to carry on playing in her garden, we needed to cross the main road through Cookridge. Her Mum was waiting for us on the other side. I was standing slightly in front and out of nowhere, a car came past, driving too fast and too close to the curb. I was swept off my feet and knocked unconscious.

"I spent two weeks in intensive care and was in hospital for another six weeks. I’d suffered a serious brain injury and was paralysed down one side, I’d broken my left femur and had countless cuts and scrapes. But that was really only the beginning of my journey."

Slowly Amy regained some of the feeling in her right side, but the break in her leg stopped it from growing and she had to undergo a leg-lengthening operation. After the surgery Amy had an external frame on her leg for two years and used a wheelchair to get around. She said "This all happened about the time I started high school, which was so hard. The support I had from my family was amazing but I was at the age where I just wanted to fit in with friends, and do all of the things they were doing. It was a really lonely time. The school wasn’t really accessible, the ramps were too steep with a heavy door at the end, there were so many times my wheelchair nearly tipped over. I was reliant on a friend to push me around, and I’ll be eternally grateful to her for doing that.

I was so excited for the frame to be removed, I felt like it was going to be the turning point for me and that life would start going back to normal. But just a few days after it came off, the bone snapped as I was walking downstairs. The doctors had to reset it and the frame went back on for another twelve months. It was heartbreaking.

After I left school, my treatment came to an end under the paediatric unit and I felt a bit abandoned. I was discharged but I felt like there had to be more that could be done to help me. I started to do my own research and with the compensation money from the accident, we were able to go to Miami University Hospital in America. They did biofeedback, which is a type of therapy where you learn to control bodily processes that are usually involuntary, such as muscle response. Being there proved to me that I still had a connection between my brain and my muscles and when I got home, I spent nine months working really hard to develop this. Aged 22, I was able to walk without crutches again for the first time.

"There was nothing like Day One around when I was recovering, and I can’t explain how much of a difference it would have made to us. The more I’ve learned, the more I love every element of support that’s available - it makes me think about how differently we might have coped."

When I saw Day One were looking for volunteers, it felt like it was meant to be. It means I can be there for people who are at the start of their journey, which gives me a real sense of purpose. I can relate to people who’ve experienced traumatic accidents and brain injuries, but also the people around them. My mum and I have talked about everything we’ve been through a lot over the years but now I have my own children, and especially as my daughter Maisie is eight now (the same age I was when I had the accident), I can appreciate her experiences on an even deeper level.

I turned 40 this year and I’m living a life I didn’t think possible. Of course I still struggle, the injuries from the crash still affect me to this day, but I’m proud of how far I’ve come and the life I’ve built. I have three beautiful children and am in a place where I accept myself. I don’t feel like my past defines me but my resilience and determination is what does.