A woman whose legs had been amputated because of to a uncommon blood clot took section in a tandem skydive to fund her independence.
Head of customer relations for a economic firm, Jo Spencer, 55, from Chester-le-Road, County Durham, was devastated when a blood clot in her major aorta artery slice off the blood offer to her legs – leaving surgeons with no choice but to amputate them.
In June 2021, Jo and her spouse David, 54, director of a monetary business, started out fundraising to give Jo again her independence, raising £25,000 in the direction of daily life switching property renovations.
Now, the mum to Holly, 26, a consumer provider operator, Josh, 22, a aid desk analyst, and Ben, 18, who is on a hole calendar year, and grandmother to Theo, 4, Harlow, two and Piper, 14 months, has taken portion in a tandem skydive boosting more than enough money to start her household renovation in January 2023.
“I obtained around individuals original fears of ‘God I’m heading to die’ due to the fact it obtained rescheduled a few occasions,” laughed Jo.
“Then I was really energized about performing it. It was totally great, the skies had cleared and the sunshine was starting off to established.”
She added: “I would suggest it to any person.”
Immediately after being identified with form just one diabetes aged seven, Jo was in fantastic wellness when, in May 2020, she recognized the toes on her still left foot turning black and blue.
“As shortly as I saw my remaining foot there was a component of me that knew I was going to drop it,” she stated.
“I experienced from sores on my ft and legs from my diabetic issues, but this time my remaining significant toe was black and blue. It appeared truly bad.”
Admitted for surgical procedure that month, surgeons amputated Jo’s still left leg beneath the knee, only for her to wake from the procedure and get started encountering agony in her appropriate leg just hours right after operation.
She said: “The whole time I just held thinking, ‘I’ve received my other leg so it’s all going to be OK’.”
She added: “But I started to feel soreness in my right leg. At first, it felt like the nerve soreness sciatica, or a muscle mass ache, but when I instructed the nurses they termed the health professionals ideal absent.
“My proper leg was likely cold and I was shedding my pulse, so I was taken back to theatre for investigative operation to see if they could help save it.”
Regrettably, Jo’s affliction deteriorated swiftly right until her life hung in the balance.
“I don’t don’t forget substantially as I was on a lot of discomfort treatment,” she mentioned.
“They named David on May possibly 13 2020 and explained, ‘We have to amputate the right leg now.’
“It was horrific. I experienced no thought what was heading on. I only knew what experienced happened when I woke in hospital from operation. I was distraught.”
Because June 2021, Jo and her husband have been fundraising to make existence altering alterations to their property.
“At the minute David has to have me up the stairs to mattress each night,” discussed Jo.
“The entire level of the alterations is to make our house safe and to enable me to do all the items all people else does independently.”
Though the family members labored tough to finance the urgent home renovation, Jo centered on her restoration.
“The supreme objective is walking without enable,” stated Jo.
“At the moment I’m able to stroll with 1 adhere and hold David’s hand. I feel like I just want to enable go of David’s hand and just wander, but I have not obtained self confidence to consider that first stage.”
She added: “I imagine I’m a bit difficult on myself, occasionally I feel ‘why am I not strolling but?’
“But David constantly reminds me how much I’ve occur. He place the movies jointly of my progress and it was a real raise for me.
“We put it on YouTube and I received so several beautiful opinions from individuals.”
And in October final yr, Jo made a decision to acquire element in a tandem skydive to raise cash for the dwelling renovations.
“I’ve constantly desired to skydive considering the fact that I was youthful,” defined Jo.
“Then in Oct 2021, my son, Ben, preferred to do a skydive for his 21st and I assumed I could do it way too and elevate dollars.”
She additional: “So I rang Sky Superior Skydiving in Shotton Colliery, Durham, and questioned if this is something I could do as a bilateral amputee.
“There was a remote chance I would drop out the harness, but Sky Substantial ended up remarkable and they made a harness so I could not slide out.
“However, my GP refused to sign me off for the leap.”
She added: “I was really upset at that place since I felt suit and balanced. So I searched for an aviation professional medical examiner and he signed me off to jump.”
And on November 12 2022, Jo jumped out of a aircraft at 15,000 feet.
“When we had been dangling above the airplane I had that instant where I believed ‘I really don’t know whether I can do this’,” claimed Jo.
She additional: “But I’m stubborn and identified and thought ‘no, I’m going to do this jump appear hell or significant h2o.’
“Then we were being falling to the ground at 120mph. In that second, I thought, ‘oh my god, I’m truly accomplishing this.’
“Then my teacher deployed the shoot and we slowed down fairly considerably. It’s just seriously peaceful and serene.”
She included: “I was just floating in the air, it was phenomenal.”
And together with her daredevil stunts, Jo has even started scuba diving.
“I have this irrational anxiety of sharks simply because I watched Jaws at a incredibly youthful age,” explained Jo.
She included: “I really like swimming but I was quite involved about freaking out underwater, but the instructors at Scuba Diver Education in Durham had been incredible.
“But when I was in there it was astounding. I just felt like every person else again. I’m now pondering about carrying out my PADI open up h2o skills.
“But I have to assume about it as its much more open up water swimming and I’m not absolutely sure I could do that.”
However, the genuine icing on the cake for the loved ones is that renovations can commence on their household in January 2023, giving Jo back again her independence.
“The do the job starts in the 2nd week of January,” claimed Jo.
“We self-funded a large amount of it, but £15,000 was from the GoFundMe and then the relaxation was from donations and fundraising.”
She additional: “We’ve lifted nearly £25,000, but the closing renovations will expense £140,000. We had to self fund the rest of the revenue.
“It’s a good old sum. I’m so grateful to the people that served us get to this position.
“We’re getting every little thing carried out at the same time. We have to move out for 3 months so we might end up in a caravan or tent.”
“But it is truly worth it to have a property I can be unbiased in. It is likely to be lifetime altering.”
To donate to Jo’s fundraiser, check out: www.gofundme.com/f/enable-jo-are living-in-our-house.