Woman who 'came down with a cold' required 24/7 care after developing life-threatening brain condition

A woman that initially 'came down with a cold' discovered that she had developed a serious brain condition that rendered her unable to talk.

Sophie Mallon was just 22-years-old when she was told of the acute inflammation of her brain stem, affecting the part that controls her breathing, eye movement and muscles around her throat.

As a result, Sophie's swallowing and speaking was affected, and was kept in ICU for months on end to ensure she received 24/7 care for her health condition.

In 2019, she featured on an episode of BBC's Hospital, leaving viewers heartbroken as the woman from Garston, Liverpool, shared her situation with viewers, as she could have stopped breathing to the point where it would have cost her life.

The Brit had been in the intensive care unit at Walton Neurological Centre for close to a year, and even had to be resuscitated 20 times.

Sophie's story was features on an episode of Hospital (BBC)

Sophie's recovery journey was explored, as her main aim was to return to normal life back home.

It all began when she thought she had a 'ripped contact lens', telling the Liverpool Echo in August 2019 that before finishing work, her 'vision had gone double'.

"When I got home I took my contacts out straight away and my vision was still double. I put eye drops in and hoped to wake up back to normal the next morning," she recalled.

But after waking up, her vision was the same, so she tried to book herself an appointment at the opticians, where, after a checkup, she was quickly referred to St Paul’s Eye Unit at the Royal Hospital Liverpool, with tests being carried out and a scan being booked days down the line.

Before that though, she started to slur her words and struggled to keep food down, experiencing pins and needles on the left side of her body.

An administrator for Redrow Homes by day, Sophie tried to head to work despite her symptoms and was sent to A&E, where it was suggested she suffered stroke.

A lesion on her brain stem was found on an MRI, so she remained in the Walton neurological centre for 771 days. Her voice at the time of filming was almost mute, while she also found it hard to breath or swallow, which resulted in her being put in a coma due to the amount of swelling on her brain.

Doctors had to carry out a tracheostomy to prevent her from choking, with Sophie admitting she was 'really lucky' to still be here today, and described the early stages of the condition to be a 'complete blur'.

Despite all this, the BBC episode ended with the then 22-year-old showing her progress with vocal chords, speaking to her grandad for the first time.

Since Sophie's story hit the mainstream, not much else has been shared, though she had shared updates on her health journey on social media.

Sophie was last said to be living in her own home in Liverpool (BBC)

Good News Liverpool also reported in 2020, months after being discharged from hospital, Sophie moved into her own house, a bungalow in Liverpool.

She told the publication: “No words can describe how grateful my family and I are for everything that’s been done with my new home.

"Everyone has gone above and beyond, and turned a house into a home for me.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more special work family. Ever since I was first admitted they have been there for me and supported me.

"I’ve had birthday cards, Christmas cards, they’ve always thought of me.”