French Alps coach crash survivor graduates on mission to help others

A woman who suffered 96% burns in a coach crash wants to use her experience of recovery to help others after graduating with a physiotherapy degree.

Catrin Pugh, 27, from Wrexham, was given a one in 1,000 chance of survival after the crash in France in 2013.

She spent eight months in hospital and had more than 200 operations.

She said she had been inspired to study the course by her healthcare team and the physiotherapists who gave her back her mobility.

"When I had my accident I didn't think I would graduate from university or even think I'd go to university.

"My parents, when I was in the hospital, used to say to me 'we just want you to be happy and we don't care what you do' and it's definitely something I don't take for granted," she said.

Ms Pugh was just 19 and returning from working a ski season in France when her coach crashed and burst into flames near Alpe D'Huez.

The driver died in the accident, while Ms Pugh suffered severe damage to her hands and eyesight.

Her burns were so bad that only the soles of her feet were left untouched.

As part of her recovery, she had countless hours of physiotherapy to regain her independence.

This allowed her to study physiotherapy at King's College London, which she said adapted the course to her needs.

"It's a bit of a cliche but I was completely inspired by the healthcare team that I worked with and physiotherapy was a great fit for me because I had grown up being so active.

"Although the surgeons and nurses saved my life and played a massive part, in my eyes my physios gave me back my mobility, my walking, my ability to use my hands and that made a massive difference to me," she said.

She has worked with the Katie Piper Foundation which helps people with scars and burns and has been an ambassador for the charity Changing Faces, which supports anyone with a visible difference.

Ms Pugh - who has also modelled for beauty company Avon - said she had seen a positive change in some attitudes to people with scars and different features.

"I'm working to change people's minds to see that things like a scar or using a wheelchair makes you unique and different - that doesn't mean different is a bad thing, different is a hugely important thing because if we don't have difference in society then it'd be a very boring place to live," she said.

Her father Carl Pugh said: "She's turned a negative into a positive and hasn't seen it as a backward step.

"She always said that she would try to use this as a positive stage in her life and we've supported her to do whatever she's wanted to do."

Ms Pugh is now applying for jobs.

"There isn't anything I can't do... as a physio. It's more about understanding how I can adapt to ensure that I and the other person is safe," she said.