Lena McAllister, 26, claims an ex-boyfriend told her she was ‘half a woman’ following a horror crash that left her paralysed in 2009
A woman left paraplegic after a near-fatal car crash was cruelly told she was ‘half a woman’ by her ex-boyfriend.
Now eight years after she suffered a shattered pelvis, broken femur and spinal cord injury, she has set her sights on becoming a model and wants to prove that disabled people can feel just as attractive and confident about their bodies.
Lena McAllister, 26, from Carlisle, Cumbria, was left with life-changing injuries in 2009 after she lost control of her car and crashed into the central reservation, while driving on the motorway.
Moments after stumbling out of her car, she was hit by a 40-tonne lorry and flung 90 feet through the air.
She spent the next 10 months recovering in hospital and a care home and said she was left shocked when her then-boyfriend made the unsavoury remark.
Lena claimed: ‘He told me that I was ‘as good as half a woman’ since I was in a wheelchair, which cut me deep and that I didn’t ‘act or dress like a woman’ anymore.’
The part-time property development accountant, added: ‘Those words made me more tough and with relationships, I won’t put up with anyone who will treat me as delicate or fragile.’
Last year she entered the Miss Cumbria beauty pageant to show that ‘disability can be attractive, scars are beautiful and life doesn’t stop.’
Horror: Lena lost control of her car and as she staggered out of the vehicle, was hit by a lorry
She is now looking to become a full-time model through Models of Diversity (MOD), a charity that advocates diversity in the fashion and beauty industry.
Lena said: ‘It took me a long time to really get back to being myself, to accept the scars and disability, but now I love life as much as I did before I lost the use of my legs.’
The terrifying crash almost claimed the teenager’s ife and left her with life-changing injuries
Following the crash, Lena suffered a shattered pelvis, broken femur and spinal cord injury
Angel Sinclair, founder of MOD, said: ‘Lena is showcasing how important it is to not let others bring you down when it comes to being successful in what you want to achieve’.
For more information, visit modelsofdiversity.com.
Eight years after the crash, Lena wants to become a model and advocate for disabled people
Lena, who entered the Miss Cumbria contest in 2016, is determined to pursue modeling