Melanie Reid writes the award-winning Spinal Column in The Times Magazine. Melanie’s life changed in April 2010 when she broke her neck and back in a horse riding accident. Melanie has subsequently learned to drive again and got back on a horse, thanks to support from Riding for the Disabled Association. In addition to Spinal Column, Melanie has written on a variety of subjects from the London Paralympics to the Scotland referendum debate.

Just three weeks after your fall, you were back writing from your hospital bed in intensive care. Why was it so important for you to resume writing so quickly?

The situation I found myself in was so extreme, so dramatic, that I found myself observing it remotely as a journalist – thinking, this is amazing copy. I knew it would be a good read and somehow writing it gave me a reason to keep living. I wanted to share it. From a psychological point of view, expressing the horrors helped me deal with them. And practically, it made me feel I could still contribute, still earn a salary and keep my family going.

How significant was it to be recognised by your peers to win the 2011 British Press Awards quality columnist of the year accolade?

Part of me thinks it’s rather amusing – the lengths one has to go to win one of those damn things. As someone who is very much distanced from the London journalistic scene, I also thought it somehow represented a prize for the unfashionable people who toil largely unrecognised, which I rather liked.

What satisfaction do you derive from people being inspired by Spinal Column?

Sometimes I’m astonished by the letters & emails I get from readers, telling me how I have helped them put their lives in perspective. The column does provoke an extraordinary response, so much so that sometimes the responsibility weighs very heavy on me. I suspect that I have given a voice to the millions of ordinary families who struggle with chronic illness etc. and whose lives are rarely reflected in the mainstream media.

How does it feel to move away from disability-defined subjects in your writing, such as the Scottish referendum?

To be honest it’s a great relief to break out from writing about myself. I love it.

How supportive have The Times been to you?

They have been terrific from the moment they heard about the accident. No employer could have done more for me and my family.