A Bangor University lecturer who was left paralysed by a rare brain infection has told her husband she feels as if her "life has no purpose or meaning".

Dr Sophie Williams, 35, was struck down by Japanese encephalitis during an academic research trip to China in July 2015.

The virus paralysed Sophie, who now requires a ventilator and 24-hour care.

Since falling ill she has only been able to return to her home in Bethesda once, only for a day visit.

The rest of the time she has spent in hospitals and in rehabilitation centres, and for the last six months she has lived in an old people's home in Wrexham.

Although enough money has been raised to adapt her home in Bethesda which she shares with her husband Dr Robert Annewandter, she is unable to go home until the NHS provide enough staff needed for her 24 hour care.

Bangor University lecturer Dr Sophie Williams
Bangor University lecturer Dr Sophie Williams

Her husband Robert, 40, said: "The home in Wrexham provides very good care for my wife, but it is not ideal as she is 70 miles away from her family and friends.

"We are desperate to get her home to give her a life because at the moment her only pleasure is television.

"She feels there is no meaning or purpose to her life now, and she has lost all her positivity and I hardly ever see her smile now but if she were home we could build a life together."

But her doting husband, who makes the 140 mile trip everyday to see his wife, saw Sophie smile a lot on Saturday at a music festival held at Treborth Botanic Gardens near Bangor, that raised £5,000, for the Sophie Williams Trust.

Dr Sophie Williams was struck by Japanese encephalitis
Dr Sophie Williams was struck by Japanese encephalitis

"Sophie was back to being a little bit like she was before the accident, her face just shone all Saturday," said Robert, who works part-time as a tutor at Bangor University.

"She had a little rest during the day but then insisted in going back to the party and she had a lot of fun, as she was back in Bangor and was with her friends again."

The couple met at Edinburgh Botanical Gardens nine years ag, and before her illness they had talked about having a family. 

Sophie did post-doctoral research at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Gardens in China but kept her link to Bangor working as a lecturer.

She had just landed her dream job as a permanent member of academic staff when she fell ill.

"When I met her for me it was love at first sight," said Robert.

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"I miss her energy she used to be like a whirlwind when she came into a room, she was and is so very well loved."

Robert admits sometimes he questions why it was his wife that was struck down so cruelly.

"Sophie also sometimes asks why it was her.

"Tens of thousands of people a year get Japanese Encephalitis but out of them only about a 1,000 people develop flu-like conditions and then about one in a thousand have a really bad reaction but only one in about 250,000 have a reaction like Sophie, it's just sheer bad luck.

Dr Sophie Williams before she fell ill

"She was researching orchids in China, but doesn't like talking about them any more as it's that trip that made her ill."

Robert added: "The NHS is looking for a new home for Sophie in Gwynedd so that she can be nearer home, but what we are really desperate for is for her to be home."