Words by Smiley Team
On Never Give Up Day, we celebrate the determination of those who persist in the face of extreme challenges. One such inspirational person is Adrian Simpson, a 68-year-old who lost a leg during lockdown. Thanks to dedicated medical professionals, Adrian overcame this set-back and is giving back in thanks by fundraising for Christian Aid.
As a keen cyclist and runner, Adrian always considered himself as a fit and active person, so he had little to concern him health-wise. Then, one day while gardening, he stood up from his work and screamed as pain shot down his right leg.
“I couldn't walk. I was crying and I barely made it back inside the house,” he says. “My wife took me immediately to the hospital where top surgeons worked for nine hours to try and save my leg.”
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The doctors discovered he had aneurysms (weakened blood vessels) behind each knee and while in his garden, the one behind his right knee had burst, sending debris downwards and blocking the whole arterial system below.
Working into the next day, the surgeons examined his leg to check if he could still use any muscles in it. But eventually, the chief vascular surgeon advised him that the best option moving forward was to remove his leg, replacing it with a prosthetic limb.
Despite the trauma of this experience, Adrian feels fortunate and decided to fundraise in thanks for Christian Aid, a charity he has supported for many years.
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Instead of accepting flowers and get well soon cards, he asked his family and friends to make donations to the charity. His daughter works for them and frequently updated him about their work helping people in countries such as Haiti and Afghanistan, hit by natural disaster and conflict. So he knew his contribution would help further a vital cause.
“When people express their sympathy for me because I’ve lost a leg, I say that I’m actually very lucky,” he explains. “It’s not as though I've been bombed out of my house and had to walk for hundreds of miles carrying my child under one arm and all of my possessions under the other. There's a massive difference.”
If you wish to support Adrian further by donating to the charity, you can do so at donate.christianaid.org.uk.
You can read more about Adrian’s experience on his blog, The Peg-Leg Chronicles.
