A policewoman has opened her eyes for the first time since falling into a coma 18 months ago.
Pc Katie Habberley, 27, was taken to hospital in August 2010 after suffering severe headaches and went into intensive care two days later with brain inflammation caused by a rare form of encephalitis.
But after months on life support Pc Habberley - who fell ill days after her first wedding anniversary - has started to improve.
Her mother-in-law Bronwen Habberley, 59, said: “She has made dramatic improvements since Christmas. She is not alert in the sense that she can talk or communicate but she can open her eyes. She is no longer on life support and she is breathing unaided.”
Doctors are not certain how Pc Habberley will progress but her family are confident that she will recover.
Mrs Habberley believes her daughter-in-law’s determination is behind her improved condition. “It is Katie herself, she’s a fighter,” she said. “This is Katie fighting back. It is a testament to her strength, her determination and her will to live.”
Pc Habberley’s relatives and friends and her husband Mark have kept a constant vigil at her bedside since she fell ill.
“She had a headache that got worse as the weeks went on,” Mrs Habberley said. “She bought over-the-counter remedies, but they didn’t seem to help.”
Pc Habberley, from Dagenham, was working at Limehouse police station when she collapsed. She was admitted to Queen’s Hospital in Romford, where Mrs Habberley says the staff gave her “absolutely fantastic” care.
She suffered from NMDAR-antibody encephalitis, a rare form that causes confusion, memory loss and seizures. Her family are now raising money for the Encephalitis Society to help sufferers.
More than £2,000 has been donated, and a further £500 was given by shoppers during a fundraiser last month at Asda in Romford where Mrs Habberley works.
“It was a brilliant day,” she said. “Our aim is to get as much community support for Katie as we can.”
Visit Katie's Just Giving webpage to make a donation.
