A HORSE rider from Mirfield who suffered an horrific facial injury has battled back thanks to the skill of a team of surgeons.
Susi Sadler, 28, was thrown from her horse and ripped her face open when she landed head first on a gatepost.
Remarkably, after a five-hour operation and with 90 stitches inserted in her face and inside her mouth, Susi is now back in the saddle.
And not only that she is now preparing for the riding challenge of a lifetime to help others who suffer from facial disfigurements.
Susi is heading for Mongolia to take part in the 600-mile Mongol Derby, an epic horse-race across the bleak Mongolian Steppe, to raise money for Operation Smile.
“Doing this will really prove to me that I am back riding and back to how I was before the accident,” said Susi, a market researcher.
Susi spoke of the horror of the accident and said: “It tore my face from my nose right across to my ear and pulled that side of my face off my chin.
“It’s what they call a ‘de-gloving’ accident. It was quite horrific, really.”
Treated by surgeons at Leeds General Infirmary Susi faced five gruelling hours of surgery, and that was just the start of a long recovery process.
“Eating and drinking were difficult,” said Susi. “I was on a liquid-only diet for the first month and I lost a stone in weight.
“But gradually the nerve damage has improved.
“A year on, I’m pretty much back to normal. I can smile and talk, eat and drink.” Susi insisted she wasn’t daunted by the Mongol Derby and said: “It’s a fantastic challenge.
“I’ve been riding since I was tiny and I started doing long-distance horse races when I was about 14, so I have some experience.”
Susi said she wanted to repay the surgeons and help others less fortunate.
“I was so lucky to have that surgery, especially when there are children in parts of the world who don’t have access to treatment like that and have cleft lips or palates,” she said.
“Having been through what I’ve been through I know the difference it makes to your life.
“You don’t think about it but people are so lucky to have the face they were born with.”
To support Susi go to www.600miles.org.