Eight years after being critically injured when she was hit by a car, Amanda Beer from Barnstaple returned to Derriford Hospital to take on the 2026 abseil, cheered on by her family and the surgeon who helped save her life.

A photo of Amanda. She's smiling with one thumb up and holding her certificate after completing the abseil.

Amanda was a pedestrian when she was struck by the car, suffering a fractured skull and injuries so serious that she spent two and a half weeks in a coma. She was cared for at Derriford and spent around six months in hospital before she was eventually able to return home.

What followed was a long journey of recovery. Eight years later, Amanda returned to the hospital, this time not as a patient, but to abseil down the side of the building to raise money for Plymouth Hospitals Charity and say thank you to those who had cared for her.

Among those watching her take on the challenge was Dr Paul Margetts, the surgeon who operated on Amanda following the collision eight years ago.

For Amanda, the abseil was a chance to repay, in some small way, a debt she says can never really be repaid.

“For me, it’s a drop in the ocean to how I could say thank you to them for keeping me alive. If it wasn’t for the work that they did while I was here, I wouldn’t be here. So that’s why I’m doing it today.”

After completing the abseil, Amanda was reunited with Paul, who took her back into the department where she had been treated and gave her a tour. It was an opportunity for Amanda to return to a place associated with one of the most difficult periods of her life, but this time under very different circumstances; eight years further along in her recovery and able to meet some of those responsible for giving her that chance.

Reflecting on seeing Amanda again, Paul said: “It is fantastic. It’s why we’re here, to get people better.

“We can’t always get everyone as good an outcome as Amanda, but when we do, it’s brilliant.”

For Amanda, being able to thank the people who had cared for her face-to-face made an already emotional day even more special.

“The whole purpose of me doing the abseil was to say thank you,” she said. “I couldn’t think of another way to say thank you.

“To be able to do it and meet them in person when I’m not on the ward has been fantastic. There are no words to explain just how grateful I am.”

Eight years ago, Amanda arrived at Derriford as a seriously injured patient facing a long and uncertain recovery. This time she returned on her own terms, stepping over the edge of the hospital, raising money to help others and, when her feet were safely back on the ground, finally getting the chance to say thank you to the surgeon and team who helped save her life.

Watch Amanda’s story: "I'm doing it for Derriford ICU to say thanks for saving my life" (link to Youtube)