A British yoga instructor says it is a “miracle” she is alive after being seriously injured by a boat propeller while snorkelling in Mexico.
Amor Armitage, 37, was snorkelling and free-diving off the Caribbean island of Cozumel on 17 December with her husband Chase and others when she was struck.
At some point, she left the group in the water to return to the boat but, as she went to climb up the ladder, there was music playing and the captain did not see her.
She said: “I suddenly realise the boat has started moving and I’m unable to say anything.
“Words just didn’t come out, as fear froze me.
“Everything seems to slow down as I feel the boat’s propeller hitting my abdomen, genitals and legs.
“My body feels heavy and I see the boat moving away from me.
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“Out of my gut comes a visceral scream, asking for help.”
She said her leg felt “broken”, her body felt “mutilated” and she felt “pain that is out of this world” but she managed to pull herself up into the boat.
Then her husband, stuntman Chase, arrived on the scene and she said it was his words and love that kept her alive on the journey to hospital.
“He did his best to keep me with him and I truly feel that if it wasn’t for my angel Chase, I would not be here today,” she added.
But as well as her husband, Ms Armitage could have a blood clot to thank – she said doctors told her afterwards that a two-inch blood clot in her artery had prevented her from bleeding to death.
Ms Armitage has had three major surgeries and a number of blood transfusions since her arrival in hospital, where she will remain for the foreseeable future.
Her main injuries were to her abdomen and her legs – she described part of her inner thigh as “completely scrambled” and her quads, tendons and tibial bone as “sliced”.
“I am stable yet still considered high risk.
“I experience pain daily and my left leg still doesn’t move or respond fully.
“My toes have gained a little bit more responsiveness and this makes me extremely happy,” she said.
The couple’s holiday was not covered by insurance and family and friends are trying to raise money for Ms Armitage’s transport back to the UK and for her recovery.
It is thought she may not be able to work for at least six months, and her husband will also need to take time off work to help her recover.
She said the hospital bills are “huge… and the costs seem to increase by day”.
Mr Armitage is selling his 981 Spyder and a Just Giving page has been set up, which has raised more than £50,000 so far.
