A WREXHAM woman who survived against the odds after being seriously hurt in a coach crash has graduated from university.

Catrin Pugh, from Rossett, was just 19 when she was involved in a coach crash near Alpe D'Huez in France back in 2013.

She had been working at a hotel in the French ski resort when the crash happened.

Catrin suffered 96 per cent burns, with severe damage to her hands and eyesight. Her chance of survival was given as one in a thousand.

Only the soles of her feet and a few patches on her scalp were untouched by the fire.

Catrin, 27, spent more than eight months in hospital following the crash and was in a coma for three of those.

She was initially treated in hospital in Grenoble before coming back to the UK to receive specialist care and treatment at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside.

Catrin has defied the odds and following more than 200 operations and procedures, she has now gone on to graduate with a first class honours degree in physiotherapy from King's College, London.

Regained mobility

She said she was inspired to study the subject after her healthcare team and physiotherapists played a huge role in her recovery, helping her to regain her mobility.

The former pupil of Darland High School in Rossett, Castell Alun High School in Hope and Coleg Cambria in Wrexham is now keen to use her skills and lived experience to help others.

Catrin, who is currently applying for jobs, said: "Before I had my accident I didn't really know what I wanted to do. When I had the accident I was basically thrust into a world of healthcare. Although everyone around me was impressive, I just resonated with the physios the most. They were the ones that gave me back my ability to move and do all the things I wanted to do. They inspired me.

"I want to help make a difference to others because I know how beneficial that can be. I can use my lived experience when working with people and patients, to hopefully give people their lives back after any kind of injury or illness."

Fantastic physios

Catrin said that the physios were fantastic and made such a difference to her, including one physio from Wrexham, Debbie Edwards, who worked with her for a year.

She was left with hand deformities and a visual impairment after the crash, and she praised staff at King's College, London for ensuring that her degree was inclusive. Catrin said that she had experienced some ups and downs since the accident, but she was very proud of all that she had achieved and was determined to use her experiences to help others. She still does regular physio herself, such as daily stretches.

Catrin managed to squeeze in a small graduation celebration with friends in London, since her official graduation ceremony has been postponed due to Covid.

She is now applying for jobs and plans to continue to live in London for the next few years, which is a good base while she continues to do charity work with organisations such as Changing Faces and the Katie Piper Foundation. She is also signed with a modelling agency and has modelled for Avon.

Catrin's mum Sara said: "We are very proud of Catrin and the fact that she has achieved all of this. There are times when she is upset and down but she was determined to make a go of everything and to get back to a bit of normality.

"When she was in hospital, I said to her 'we just want you to be happy, we don't care what you do afterwards'. It's a bonus that she decided she'd like to go to uni and chose to be a physio. It's a bit of normality for her. She is a very independent woman."