A Falmouth guide dog owner who spent months in hospital following a car crash outside her home has been marked out as inspirational as she is nominated for a national award.

Kay Kitto and her guide dog Jackie are contenders for the Inspirational Guide Dog Owner Award at this year’s national Guide Dogs Annual Awards, which recognises guide dog owners who have made exceptional achievements or who have overcome significant challenges in the last year.

“Jackie has given me independence,” Kay has said, and she is currently working to regain her independence and to walk again, after a crash at her Oakfield Road home in 2016 left her fighting for her life.

She was stood next to her car when it was hit by a passing vehicle, which pushed it into her. She suffered a fractured spine, fractured femur, tibia and fibula, and knee, as well as requiring skin grafts and having contusions to her head, and had to be put into a coma due to a perforated bowel.

After treatment at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Derriford in Plymouth and Helston Community Hospital, Kay was able to go home before Christmas after spending 13 weeks in treatment.

She said: "It's a daily struggle, it's going to be a struggle for a long time. I'm far from fully recovered, I've still got a a lot of recovery to go."

Throughout her time in hospital Kay was supported by her family, husband Nigel and son Dexter, as well as Jackie, who would visit her and sit by the side of her bed, comforting her. Kay said that she was inundated with doctors and nurses coming to visit her when Jackie was in the ward wanting to say hello.

Jackie, who was thrown from the boot of the car during the accident, had been staying elsewhere during the first days after Kay left hospital but returned to the family home about four weeks ago.

Kay said: "Her reaction was brilliant.

"She's back home permanently now. She's working in harness, and she's learned to walk beside my wheelchair. She's adjusted really well.

"She's had some extra training from a mobility instructor. She still has to follow instructions, but she's taken to it really well."

Kay said Dexter, who was in the car at the time of the collision, is happy to be back at home with his mother: "He's happy, he's playing , he's back to his cheeky self."

She said that she had been "in so much pain" after the accident, but she found the determination to get better "for my family and for Jackie and for myself."

"I'm learning to walk again: I'm allowed to walk up to 50 metres with my walking frame, and I've learned to walk about 20 metres unaided. I had to learn to stand again, at one point I couldn't sit up in bed, I had to learn to sit and stand and walk."

Before her accident, Kay and her family had undertaken fundraising adventures for Guide Dogs and despite her injuries, Kay is planning more in the future.

She said: "I'm going to try. I visited Penryn Primary last Friday, because a friend had a fundraiser to help us with our finances, and Penryn Primary undertook a fundraising day: I wrote to the school to thank them and say I would go back in."

For now she will be deciding whether to work for Guide Dogs depending on what an event is and where it is, as she still gets tired very easily.

For now, she said, "I just take each day as it comes."

Stories of all three Guide Dogs award nominees will appear on This Morning on Wednesday, when the online public vote will open at itv.com/thismorning

Two men appeared at Truro Magistrates Court on Monday charged with offences related to the crash which injured Kay. The case has now been sent to Truro Crown Court.