'˜Miracle' Rye Harbour girl home after three months in coma

By The Newsroom
Published 10th Nov 2016, 13:45 BST
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 17:00 BST
Nell Robbins (left) with her dad Ben and brother Rudi SUS-161011-114216001Nell Robbins (left) with her dad Ben and brother Rudi SUS-161011-114216001
Nell Robbins (left) with her dad Ben and brother Rudi SUS-161011-114216001

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

A Rye Harbour family is back together as their teenage daughter came home yesterday (Wednesday, November 9) after spending three months in a coma in a French hospital.

Nell Robbins ended up on life support after catching pneumonia on a school trip to southern France in June, and nearly died three times in hospital.

But the ‘miracle’ 14-year-old girl fought back against all the odds and is slowly making a full recovery, with her able to return to her Harbour Road home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mum Rachael Robbins was overwhelmed with emotion after months of heart-ache, but bringing Nell home ‘felt like Christmas’.

Nell Robbins spent three months in a coma in a French hospital but came home on Wednesday SUS-161011-114205001Nell Robbins spent three months in a coma in a French hospital but came home on Wednesday SUS-161011-114205001
Nell Robbins spent three months in a coma in a French hospital but came home on Wednesday SUS-161011-114205001

“I was so emotional as I said to my children I was going to get Nell. It was overwhelming, I can’t really describe it – it’s like a magical thing, it felt like Christmas,” she said.

Nell was on a trip with Rye College to a PGL activity centre in Ségries, north of Montpellier, when she became ill and rapidly declined until she was on life support.

Rachael and her father Ben Robbins stayed in France with Nell throughout the four months, with multiple near-death situations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Initially it was just total shock and horror and it gradually god worse as she was put on to the life support machine,” Ben recalled.

The community of Rye Harbour made Nell some bunting to welcome her home SUS-161011-160859001The community of Rye Harbour made Nell some bunting to welcome her home SUS-161011-160859001
The community of Rye Harbour made Nell some bunting to welcome her home SUS-161011-160859001

“It was just a kind of nightmare from start to finish – it’s the worst thing you can imagine happening to your daughter.”

Slowly but surely, Nell began to recover, starting with breathing independently to waking up.

Last month Nell was transferred to the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards and now she is back at her Harbour Road home with her younger brother Rudi and the rest of the family.

Hide Ad