10
Loading video...
By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A first-time mom has learned just how quickly life can change after a simple evening at home left her with lifechanging injuries.
Sydney Tabor, 27, has described the extensive pain she has suffered since May 16, 2026, when she fell down the stairs. At the time, Tabor, from Lincolnshire, U.K., was in her bedroom when she got up and headed downstairs to use the bathroom. However, as she reached the staircase, she believes that she missed the first step, causing a dramatic fall.
While Tabor tells Newsweek that she cannot “remember a single thing” about the fall, her boyfriend, Tom, recalls hearing four loud bangs. He rushed out of bed to find Tabor lying on her back with “blood pouring everywhere.”
Read More on Health
...
Tabor said: “The fall knocked me out completely. The impact was so severe that I even took a huge chunk out of the wooden floor with my face. I was moving at first, but then I stopped breathing for a short period of time. He genuinely thought I had died.”
Emergency services were swiftly called to the scene and administered pain relief to Tabor as she came in and out of consciousness. Indeed, she even tried to stand up at several points, but it was unclear whether she had broken her neck or back.
Once she was stable, Tabor was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. She received a CT scan and MRI, which revealed a small bleed on the front of her brain. She also broke her nose in two places, and her face was cut open, exposing her upper lip and teeth.
The extent of her injuries was so severe, Tabor was transferred to another hospital the following day for emergency plastic surgery on her lip and head.
“My lip had been damaged so badly that surgery was the only way it could be repaired,” Tabor said. “I also had oral surgery because the impact of the fall knocked out two of my bottom teeth. The roots had been forced deep into my jaw and had to be surgically removed.
“I felt absolutely awful. I was in hospital for around four days and couldn’t do anything for myself. I couldn’t go to the toilet without help, I struggled to eat, and I was in constant agony. I could barely move because sitting up was so painful.”
...
Once discharged from the hospital, Tabor’s recovery was slow and painful. She could barely move for the first two weeks, adding that she could not have got by without the help of her boyfriend and family. They rallied around to care for Tabor and her young daughter, Miller.
Tabor still struggles with her sinuses due to breaking her nose, and she suffers with pain every day in her neck and back after tearing several muscles. As for her missing teeth, that remains an ongoing process, and could be another year before she gets a permanent resolution.
“I’ve had surgery to remove the tooth roots from my jaw, and it will take at least six months for the bone to heal properly. At the moment, I wear a retainer with composite teeth attached, so it looks like I still have my missing teeth. I’ll also be having a denture fitted to stop the gap from closing while everything heals,” Tabor said.
Throughout her recovery, Tabor has been documenting the experience on social media (@sydney.tabor99 on TikTok and @__sydneytabor__ on Instagram). While it has been undoubtedly horrifying, this ordeal has shown Tabor just how instantaneously life can change. The physical damage from the fall has been extensive, but it has also taken a significant emotional toll on Tabor too. She also believes that her boyfriend has “more trauma” because he is the one who found her lying motionless on the floor.
...
Tabor told Newsweek: “I was incredibly lucky to survive, and I’m grateful for the support I’ve had from my family, my boyfriend, and the medical professionals who cared for me.
“I’m incredibly grateful to still be here because things could have ended very differently. This experience has changed my life in ways people can’t always see. I don’t take life for granted anymore, and I hope sharing my experience helps people understand just how quickly life can change and how important it is to appreciate every day."
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines