Life Changing

When Jess Martinez was just thirteen, she was sexually abused by her sister's much older boyfriend. No charges were brought at the time, but the impact it had on Jess's life was dramatic, causing lasting damage. Many years later, when Jess discovered her abuser had been jailed for another case of child abuse, she took the courageous decision to tell her own story, waiving her right to lifelong anonymity. Speaking to Dr Sian Williams, Jess describes the challenges of bringing an old case to court and praises the police and lawyers whose efforts provided her longed-for Life Changing moment.Producer; Tom Alban

When highly experienced caver George Linanne fell during an expedition in the massive Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system in Wales , he wondered whether he would ever reach the surface. With a leg broken in two places, and multiple injuries to his jaw, collar-bone, chest and internal organs, he was in excruciating pain. Some 300 cavers from across the UK took part in what became one of the longest cave rescues in UK history. George tells Dr Sian Williams about his accident, his incredible escape and why he is back caving - the sport he loves - as well as becoming a cave rescuer himself.Producer: Tom Alban

Jacqui Furneaux had enjoyed a happy marriage, bringing up two daughters and working as a nurse. Sadly, the marriage broke down, and feeling guilty, Jacqui decided to get out of people’s way and go travelling. As a woman in her late 40s , the back-packing life was a novelty. But while visiting the golden city of Jaisalmer in north-western India - and preparing to take a camel tour into the nearby desert - she met a Dutch biker. It was a chance encounter, sparked by their mutual interest in motorbikes . It led to Jacqui abandoning the camel plans and joining her new companion on a short tour of the frontier desert of northern India. With stops and starts and a few glitches on the way, Jacqui tells Dr Sian Williams how that sliding door moment turned out to be life-changing, leading to seven years on the open road and a journey of rediscovery and adventure. Producer: Tom Alban

It was a summer evening in 2014, when four men barged into Paul Kohler’s family home and began a savage assault on him. They believed erroneously that he had a large amount of money hidden there. The speed of the police response meant that Paul was saved from almost certain death, and the four men were later arrested, charged and imprisoned. Although he felt vindicated by the sentencing, Paul’s worldview was changed forever when he and his family were invited to visit one of the attackers in prison, as part of a Restorative Justice scheme. In an episode recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival, Paul tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing confrontation, and how frustration with the way his ordeal was reported led to him into politics. Producer: Tom Alban

In 1975, Richard Dailey was the victim of a freak wave that swept him overboard from the vessel he was working on in the North Sea. His daughter Angie was just five years old - and the news of his death was one of her first memories. Although they were compensated financially, the impact of that loss was difficult to understand and over the years it caused tension between Angie and her mother. Angie inherited a treasured box of old letters and photographs from her father, but felt unable to open it. Angie wrote in to Life Changing to tell Dr Sian Williams how a decision to mark his life, on the 50th anniversary of his death, helped her finally know her father and understand her part in his life.Producer: Tom Alban