I was paralysed from the chest down after diving into a pool on holiday - now I want to help others

A woman who became depressed after she was paralysed when she dived into a pool now wants to help others.

Jenna Fitzgerald, 37, is now training to become a psychologist after she became paralysed from the chest down after diving into a pool on holiday in Nerja, Spain.

Jenna was at the after-party of a friend's wedding in 2014, when she dived into the pool without realising how shallow it was. She hit the bottom head first and shattered her C5 vertebrae and fractured the C6 and C7 in her neck.

Jenna, awake but unable to move, was saved by a friend who leapt into the pool, and was rushed to hospital for emergency spinal surgeries. She had to re-learn to talk and eat but was told she would never walk again.

The years that followed saw Jenna become depressed and she attempted to take her own life in July 2017. After waking up in intensive care following the attempt, she made herself a promise - that she would make the most of her situation and "not be afraid."

Jenna is now studying for an English and Psychology degree at Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, with the aim of becoming a psychologist. She hopes she will one day be able to help others going through struggles.

Jenna, from County Sligo, Ireland, said: "Sometimes there are just no words to describe how you feel unless you've been through something like this. I'm proof you can pick yourself back up after hitting rock bottom.

"Once you reach the point where you realise you need help, and you want to help yourself, you want to be able to give other people those feelings of 'it can get better' too.”