Video: Double amputee vows she will dance with her husband again to celebrate their wonderful 26-year marriage

A devoted wife and mother vows to dance with her husband again to celebrate their 26 years of marriage after both her legs were amputated due to a rare blood clot.

Head of client relations for a financial company, Jo Spencer, 53, was devastated when a blood clot in her main aorta artery cut-off the blood supply to her legs – leaving surgeons with no choice but to amputate them.

Now, Jo and her husband David, 53, director of a financial company, are fundraising to adapt their family home in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, so she can become independent and fulfil her dream of dancing with him one day in their beautiful garden.

“We couldn’t celebrate our 25th anniversary in September last year, because of my health and the pandemic, so it’s my dream to toast it belatedly with lots of friends and family,” she said.

“I want to dance with David in front of everyone and mark our wonderful marriage with our children and grandchildren.”

Diagnosed with type one diabetes, aged seven, Jo – mum to Holly, 25, a customer service operator, Josh, 21, a help desk analyst, and Ben, 17, a full-time student, and grandmother to Theo, three and Harlow, 15 months – was in perfect health when in May 2020 she noticed the toes on her left foot turning black and blue.

“As soon as I saw my left foot there was a part of me that knew I was going to lose it,” she said.

“I suffered from sores on my feet and legs from my diabetes, but this time my left big toe was black and blue. It looked really bad.

“I rushed to A&E and was referred to a vascular surgeon.”

She added: “At first, I was sent home to wait for an appointment, but when my foot worsened my GP sent me to Sunderland Royal Hospital, where they have a vascular surgeon on site.”

Blood tests and a CT scan revealed that Jo had experienced a rare blood clot in her aorta artery, blocking the blood supply to her leg.

As a result, her left leg was dying and surgeons told her they had to amputate below the knee to save her life.

“I knew from the moment I saw the foot that it would be amputated,” she said.

“It was still hard accepting that I was going to lose my leg, but it was necessary to save my life.

“I was relieved it was a below knee amputation, as at least it meant I would have an easier time using prosthetics.”

She added: “In the end, I thought, ‘It’s one leg, I’m going to get a prosthetic and it’s all going to be OK.’”

Admitted for surgery on 2 May 2020, surgeons amputated Jo’s left leg below the knee, only for her to wake from the operation and start experiencing pain in her right leg.

“The surgery was a success and I was desperate to get home,” she said.

She added: “We planned to move the bed to the living room while I recovered.

“The whole time I just kept thinking, ‘I’ve got my other leg so it’s all going to be OK.’

“But I started to feel pain in my right leg. At first, it felt like the nerve pain sciatica, or a muscle ache, but when I told the nurses they called the doctors right away.”

She added: “My right leg was going cold and I was losing my pulse, so I was taken back to theatre for investigative surgery to see if they could save it.”

Sadly, Jo’s condition deteriorated rapidly until her life hung in the balance.

“I don’t remember much, as I was on a lot of pain medication,” she said.

She added: “They called David on 13 May 2020 and said, ‘We have to amputate the right leg now.’

“It was horrific. I had no idea what was going on as I was on a lot of pain medication.

“I only knew what had happened when I woke in hospital from surgery. I was distraught.”

She added: “I just didn’t know how I was going to live without both my legs and sank into a deep depression.

“I had been so accepting, but my optimism was all based on still having my right leg.”

Refusing to be defeated, Jo focused on her family and on getting healthy for them, until she was discharged from hospital a week later.

Then a further complication led to her being taken back in for surgery to remove more of her left leg.

“They had glued the wound together instead of stitching it and it just wasn’t healing properly,” she said.

“I was adamant that I didn’t want an above knee amputation, but doctors insisted there was no other choice. No other methods were working and the skin was dying.”

She added: “I was readmitted for surgery on 11 June 2020 to have a further amputation on my left leg above the knee. It felt never ending, but I got to a point where I wanted to focus on my recovery.”

Starting physio, Jo worked on her core strength and became determined to use prosthetics.

Then came another blow, when an occupational therapist from the NHS and a surveyor from the local council said her home was unsuitable for her wheelchair, meaning her family would have to move from the house where they had lived for 14 years.

“Our home is filled with so many amazing memories,” she said.

“We dance in the kitchen together. It’s where our children grew up and where our grandchildren are making memories. It’s our home.

“After so much change, it was devastating to consider leaving our home behind. I still had my two youngest kids at home and I didn’t want to uproot them.”

She added: “But, without adaptations, I can’t go upstairs or even in the garden. The kitchen needs to be remodified and a lift needs to be installed, so I can go upstairs.

“Even now that I’ve returned to work, where everyone has been amazing, we just can’t afford the cost of adapting everything up front We need £50k to start with for a lift at the back and kitchen changes, so, we decided to try to and crowdfund for the money.”

Starting a GoFundMe page, Jo and David are now trying to raise £50,000 to adapt their home.

And, despite everything that has been thrown at her, Jo’s dream of dancing with him to celebrate their wonderful marriage remains at the top of her wish-list.

“We love to dance,” she said.

“We dance in the kitchen and now David scoops me up and swings me around, but it’s not the same.”

She added: “As we couldn’t celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary last year, I want to have a big party with all our friends and family at our home and to be able to dance using prosthetics with him. ”

For now, Jo is practicing walking on “stubbies” – metal poles with a slight foot. They are helping her to learn to walk while she waits for her prosthetics to be made – which she hopes to get in the next three months.

“Stubbies are the first stage in learning to walk using prosthetics,” she explained.

She added: “Learning to walk with prosthetics is really tough, especially with an above knee amputation.

“But I’m going to try my hardest. I dream of being able to dance with David and that motivates me.

“It’s difficult right now, as the house isn’t easy to navigate and I sleep downstairs. It’s been an adjustment for the whole family, but David and my kids have kept me so strong.”

She added: “I’m determined to be independent and live my life to full and by raising this money to stay in the family home we’ll be able to do just that.

“And my dream of dancing again with David moves another step closer.”

MUST PAR: uk.gofundme.com/f/help-jo-live-in-our-home

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