Paris balcony fall leaves mother with severe brain injury and long rehab

During a vacation in Paris, 44-year-old mother of two Raina Heverin fell from an open third-floor balcony after sleepwalking, plunging roughly 40 feet into the courtyard. The fall caused a broken arm, broken hip, and a bleed on her brain stem, leading to a three-week coma and reliance on ventilators. Discovered by her brother the following morning, Heverin was later transferred back to the UK, where she entered a brain-injury rehabilitation centre in November.

Diagnosed with ataxia, she now struggles with speech, movement and fine-motor tasks, requiring assistance for basic activities. Despite the setbacks, she has begun walking short distances to raise money for charity and hopes to increase her endurance. Friends describe her as grieving the loss of her previous active lifestyle while working toward recovery.