Glasgow woman given 0.5% chance of survival making miraculous recovery

Lauren Feeney was given a 0.5% chance of survival after she was involved in a fatal car accident four years ago.

The 29-year-old from Glasgow was in a coma for a month and suffered extensive physical injuries.

But she is making a miraculous recovery with the help of staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Lauren was the sole survivor of the horrific car crash on New Year’s Eve in 2019.

She told STV News: “I broke 26 bones, (I) had internal bleeding, brain damage. I was in hospital overall for six months and in a coma for a month. I spent the next five months learning how to do everything again.

“When they assessed me to have a 0.5% chance of survival and knowing what I know now, I’m like ‘how is that possible?’.”

She’s completing 5k races and swimming three times a week, and also has plans to compete in further competitions.

She added: “Before the crash, I’d never have done running. I hated running, I thought it was so boring. I couldn’t do it. But now, because I almost can’t really do it, it kind of forces me. I’m like ‘well, no one is gonna tell me I can’t do it’.”

Lauren volunteers at the QEUH as a way of giving back to the people who helped save her life.

Co-worker Caroline Maxwell said, “I’ve been working with Lauren for about a year now and we’ve got a good relationship going. She’s very funny and I’m in awe of everything she manages to do. She’s superwoman.

“We open the hub in the morning, make sure everything is all set up, dispense coffee and biscuits, and speak to the staff that come in.”

As Lauren’s recovery continues, she’s starting a new job and has plans to deliver motivational speeches about her recovery to others who have experienced brain injuries.

She said: “I can see how I can help other people deal with what they’re going through, like what I’m going through and have gone through.

“It was so good helping people get through what they’re dealing with by them listening to how I’ve managed to deal with it.”