A MUM who feared she would never walk again after getting a rare illness has made a full recovery and been swimming with sharks to raise money for charity.

Lindsay Pearson, aged 28, from Burtonwood, was paralysed from the waist down after getting Guillain-Barre syndrome and was admitted to Liverpool’s Walton Centre for three weeks.

The healthcare assistant, who works at Stretton’s Spire Cheshire Hospital, said: “It was terrifying and I was depressed. I spent the whole time in a hospital bed thinking I’d never walk again.”

Lindsay fell ill with swine flu last Christmas. The illness weakened her immune system and made her susceptible to Guillain-Barre, a disease of the nervous system that affects around 1,500 people each year.

In February she started suffering from painful pins and needles. She was cleaning her Haley Road North home when her legs went numb and she collapsed.

Lindsay, mum to eight-year-old Cameron, managed to drag herself to her mobile phone where she called emergency services. She was taken to Warrington Hospital with severe lower back pain and then transferred to the Walton Centre, which specialises in neurological conditions.

Lindsay was diagnosed and over the following weeks she was given painkillers and a lumbar puncture until she gradually got feeling back in her legs, later making a full recovery.

She was inspired to help the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Support Group after reading about Candice Marie Roberts, from Appleton, who died in August on her 26th birthday from the same illness.

She added: “After hearing about Candice I realised how lucky I was. I wanted to support the charity. I don’t want to dwell on what happened to me, I’d rather grab life with both hands.”

Linsay approached Ellesmere Port’s Blue Planet Aquarium and arranged a 45-minute swim with sharks earlier this month.

She said: “It was amazing. I was very scared but I feel so proud. Candice’s mum and dad came to watch and it was very emotional.”

Lindsay has raised close to £1,100 towards her £2,000 target.

To sponsor her campaign visit justgiving.com/lindsay-pearson0.