MIRACLE baby Aidan Stewart may be too young to talk, but he knows his mum is one in a million.

Her life was devastated when a shop collapsed on top of her as it was being demolished in Oxford 14 years ago.

Passers-by clawed at tons of rubble to reach Audrey, who was pulled out alive but left crippled with terrible injuries.

Her short, carefree walk to the bus stop that January day in 1984 left her paralysed in a wheelchair for life.

As the years went by, it seemed the tragedy had also robbed Audrey of a loving relationship and motherhood.

But then, against all the odds, she became pregnant and is now the proud mum of eight-month-old Aidan.

And her partner David Turner sums it up neatly: "He's a little miracle, isn't he?"

Audrey, now 38, looks after Aidan at their specially-adapted bungalow in Oxford without any outside help.

She said: "I'm really lucky that he is such a good baby. I don't know how I would have managed if he wasn't.

"He already seems to sense that he has to sit quite still on my lap and save the jumping around for his dad."

Audrey has fought to lead an independent life since she was paralysed from the chest down in the Queen Street disaster. Another girl, 21-year-old Italian student Angela Camassi, suffered horrific head injuries in the tragedy and died soon afterwards.

The first thing Audrey, then 24, can remember is waking up in hospital in terrible pain from back injuries and unable to feel her legs.

For months she battled to regain her health in the spinal injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

But it was seven years before she received full damages from the demolition firm found guilty of failing to carry out the work safely.

Her old flat was unsuitable for wheelchairs, so she had to go home to her parents in Scotland while she waited for a specially-adapted flat in Oxford.

"I'm quite independent, so I was determined to look after myself," said Audrey. "But I was also bored because I didn't have anything to do."

Before the accident she worked as a catering assistant at The Chequers pub in the city centre.

Returning to her old job was out of the question, so she thought about taking on voluntary work. But first she had to pass her driving test.

"My sister said, 'Look Audrey, you can't sit here day after day -- you must learn to drive'," she said. "She booked my lessons, so I couldn't get out of it."

Audrey passed her driving test first time, just a year after the accident. It was a turning point that gave her real mobility and independence.

She worked as a volunteer at a primary school and with a disability advice line before signing up for a typing course. The Shaw Trust, a charity which enables disabled people to reach their potential in the workplace, then stepped in to help her find a job.

"I went to work in the personnel department at Oxford Brookes University for a week and was offered a part-time job," said Audrey.

"It got me out of the house, gave me something to do and I enjoyed it. I have been there ever since, but now I'm taking a break to look after the baby."

Audrey was eventually awarded £470,000 damages. She bought her bungalow, an automatic car and a new wheelchair before investing the rest for the future.

But although she now had a good job, a nice home and her supportive family, she longed to have a baby of her own.

"The doctors said there was no reason why I couldn't have a family, but it was something I never dreamed would happen," she said.

"I thought the chances of meeting someone were slim as I had never really had a partner until I met Dave at a barbecue and then again at a party."

Dave later phoned Audrey to speak to a mutual friend who was staying with her. He was out, but they spent an hour "talking about everything and anything".

Audrey invited Dave to visit and, when she arrived home from work the next day, there he was. He said: "It was fate. I think we were just meant to meet."

The couple both wanted a family, but four years ago Audrey had a miscarriage. "We had been trying and trying and really wanted that baby," she said.

"I had picked names and everything but at three months I lost it. It was a very hard time for us, but obviously it wasn't meant to be." Then last year, when she had almost given up hope, Audrey became pregnant again. This time all went well, despite a few scares along the way.

"The triple blood test wasn't right, so I had to have an amniocentesis," she said. "We had an awful two weeks waiting for the results, but everything was fine."

She planned a normal delivery, but doctors decided to carry out a Caesarean section a week early.

"The baby was lying in an awkward position, so I had an epidural as a precaution against any complications, which meant I could be awake for the birth," she said.

Aidan weighed in at 5lb 13oz on July 21 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and was handed straight to his delighted mum and dad.

"It was an overpowering feeling. I just started crying," recalled Audrey, who was attended by a spinal nurse throughout the birth.

Audrey had to stay in bed for ten days, but her main concern was for Aidan, who spent two nights in the special care baby unit.

"I tried to breastfeed him, but he obviously wasn't getting enough milk," she said. "Luckily he took to the bottle, which meant Dave could feed him as well."

Dave, 44, who's a chef at a residential home for the elderly, said: "It's not been easy, but he's worth it. I come home and take over so that Audrey can have a rest, but we do get behind sometimes. There is always something that needs to be done."

It's the little things that most mums take for granted that Audrey finds difficult, such as bathing the baby or getting up in the night.

"In the end it was more practical and logical for me to do the night-feeds," said Dave. "But from six weeks, Aidan started sleeping right through."

Bathing Aidan also proved impossible for Audrey, so he shares a bath with his dad. Mum then changes his nappy and dresses him on a custom-built cot.

"There isn't much I can't do, although I do miss being able to pop him into his pram and take him out for a walk on a really bonny day."

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