by Andrew Hitchon, health reporter

A YORK woman's passion for dance has given her a double "lifeline" following an horrific accident.

Line dancing instructor Jane Wilson was told by doctors she was "a millimetre" from losing the use of her legs after she suffered a spinal fracture and broke two ribs in a serious car crash in January.

And they said the muscles she built up over five years of line dancing had saved her from paralysis.

"I would have been in a wheelchair, there's no getting away from the fact.

"There are a lot of people a lot worse off than me - I just feel very lucky that I have got a second chance," she said.

Now dancing is not only restoring her strength but also giving her a focus around which to rebuild her life.

Jane, who is 37 and from Vavasour Court, Copmanthorpe, spent five weeks in hospital after the accident.

Following an operation to fix three vertebrae with the help of plates and a bone graft, she had to wear a restrictive suit for 20 weeks to support her spine.

The accident happened just as she was about to start a new career doing body massage and teaching line dancing.

Now she cannot take even a part-time job, as she cannot drive, bend or lift, and she has had to give up horse riding.

But the dancing has been declared beneficial by the doctors, and she has started two classes, at the Civil Service Club in Boroughbridge Road on Tuesdays and at Melodies in Wigginton Road on Thursdays - with help from husband John, who not only drives but has to carry all the equipment as well.

Jane said she was determined to use her dancing to bring her life back to normality. "It's the only thing that kept me going, it's the only thing that's keeping me sane, because if I couldn't do that I don't know what I would do," she added.

She has just had a boost in this "emotional roller coaster" of a year, with the news that she has passed the first two levels of teacher training with the Scottish Western Academy of Dance.

She hopes to gain a further qualification next year and to expand her classes, possibly with a junior section.

Members of her classes are astounded by her rapid progress.

June Greer, who attends both classes, said: "She's very nice girl and I think a lot of her.

"She has made a remarkable recovery."

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andrew.hitchon@ycp.co.uk