Jude, one of our Stourbridge House residents, has revealed he feels “like a new man’ following his leg amputation.
Jude was born with Cerebral Palsy – and after a series of leg procedures that began in early childhood – Jude developed complex regional pain syndrome, which caused his leg to become stuck for the next three years – folded upwards at the knee towards his chest.
His case was described as one of the most severe doctors had ever seen, and unfortunately, the position of his leg left him unable to enjoy family car rides and trips with friends and even prevented him from wearing the clothes he wanted to.
After struggling for many years with excruciating pain from the awkward position of his leg, he decided to have his right leg amputated at the knee.
Having made the agonising decision to amputate his leg, Jude has revealed that he feels “like a new man” and is looking forward to a positive future.
Jude became a resident of ours in September and, thanks to the staff’s support, has since come on leaps and bounds and has regained his independence.
Jude says:
“I moved to Stourbridge House in September 2022 after a long stint in hospital – after spending a year indoors moving into my own flat has given me the level of independence I need. I’ve been able to interact with family and friends again, which I had missed for so long.
Prior to my arrival, staff came to visit me in hospital so I could get to know the people I was working with, I feel this helped – I was nervous about transitioning to Stourbridge, however, I settled in nicely thanks to all the staff.
Might I also add, I convincingly beat Kim at table tennis whilst at the hospital – Kim says I can’t leave until she has beaten me!
Additionally, with the support of staff, I have worked on accessing the community, work, and my hobbies independently; this was something that I had struggled to do before.
Due to the position of my leg at the time, I had always struggled to wear, what I call, stylish jeans, I was determined to find a way, Sarah supported me as we went to Blooms in Wolverhampton where their tailors added discreet velcro to my clothing which allowed me to wear my ripped jeans again!
I arranged with staff to go to Edinburgh Scotland – this was my first overnight trip in over three years, where I went to a sportsman’s dinner with Mash – I couldn’t resist getting an interview with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, it felt amazing to be back doing my journalism again.
The staff at Progress have been really supportive and willing to help in achieving my goals, they have made me feel comfortable whilst in their company and always listen to my football rambles! They also have good taste in music too!
I feel my time here has allowed me to rediscover doing what I love and I’ve had a great start to adulthood.”
We are really proud of Jude and how his positive outlook and commitment to his recovery have enabled him to achieve more independence and start fulfilling his dreams.