BEING able to scratch an itch on her face is one of the things that Liz Martin would most look forward to if she could regain even limited use of her hands and arms.

“People don’t realise a thing like an itch on your face can drive you demented,” said Miss Martin, a former control operator for a fire brigade.

“If a wasp or anything comes near you, you’re sitting there like a fixed object. You cannot do anything about it.

“Simple things like being able to switch on the computer or the lights would change my life.

“If I could answer the phone it would make a big difference.”

Miss Martin, 57, from Stirling, was paralysed in 1991 when a lorry slammed into the back of her broken-down car. She has only limited movement of her head and neck.

She needs two people to help her out of bed each morning. She uses a chinoperated wheelchair and travels in a customised Transit van.

She said that she would very carefully consider brain implants if they helped her to regain the use of her arms and hands.

“It would be great if this technology became available. I’m very open-minded about new research, but I like to know what I’m jumping into first,” she said.

Despite her devastating accident, Miss Martin has remained active.

She sits on the board of trustees of the Spinal Injuries Association, has attended several medical conferences and is studying for an Open University qualification in health and social care.

She does regular exercises with a health carer to keep her joints in working order and to prevent her muscles from wasting away.

“I do physiotherapy every morning and sometimes at night,” she said.

“It keeps my joints, arms and legs flexible and in good order, so if at any time in the future there was something that could help, they would be in pretty good nick.”

In the meantime, Liz will continue to be as independent as possible without the use of her arms or legs.

“It doesn’t stop me. I just had an accident and I just have to get on with it.

“It was quite a change from the fire brigade, which was quite exciting, I must admit. But I find my work with the Spinal Injuries Association very stimulating.”

Before her accident Miss Martin led an active life and had a great love of outdoor pursuits, gardening, photography and walking her dog.

Her fundraising work for cancer and spinal injuries charities led to her being nominated as Scottish woman of the year in 1992.

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