Dream midwife job at last for Whitchurch woman who broke her back in crash
A Whitchurch woman has fought her way back to health after breaking her back in a serious car crash – and now she has to fulfilled her dream of becoming a midwife.
Michelle Dewsnap broke her back in two places and had to wear a back brace for five months, putting her university studies on hold.
But after taking a year out, the 35-year-old was welcomed back on to the course and has now graduated from Staffordshire University. She has secured a job as a midwife at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
"It's never too late to go and try something new and if it doesn't work out then at least you know," she said. "There's nothing worse than thinking 'I could have' or 'I should have'. Just try and hopefully you'll get to where you want to be."
Ms Dewsnap ran her own industrial cleaning business for several years before deciding to pursue her passion to become a midwife.
"I'd always wanted to do midwifery but didn't think I had the brains for it. I came to a crossroads in my life and decided I can either carry on what I'm doing or pursue something different," she said.
After completing an access course, she secured a place on the midwifery degree course at Staffordshire University but at the start of her second year was involved in a head-on collision and suffered serious injuries.
She said: "More than anything I was really, really gutted that I wouldn't be able to carry on with the course. It was something that I'd taken so long to try and then this happened."
Determined to make a fast recovery and return to her studies, she even paid for her own physiotherapy treatment to speed up the process.
"That year felt so long, especially lying there not being able to do anything. But my tutor was brilliant. We kept in touch and everything was in place and organised so that when I did return it was a smooth process," she added.
