A dad is now able to carry his son after losing his leg in an accident.
Richard Jones, 33, was involved in a road accident resulting in the amputation of his right leg. While working in construction in February, 2020, Richard was driving his truck towards Johnstown in Carmarthen. Although Richard has no memory of the accident, police later told him that he had hit the barrier on a slip road, half-throwing him out of the vehicle.
After Richard was stabilised by consultant Dr Bob Tipping and critical care practitioner Marc Allen from Wales Air Ambulance, with the emergency medical and retrieval transfer service, he was taken to the Morriston Hospital for emergency surgery. He said “they operated all night at Morriston Hospital. The next morning, they came to the conclusion that it was either my leg or my life. They took my right leg from above the knee.”
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Not only was Richard's life saved at Morriston Hospital, he also found love there. When receiving treatment at Morriston he met nurse Michaela Sutton, who became his partner and the mother to his now one-year-old son, Dougie.
After his amputation, Richard was fitted with an artificial leg that had a mechanical knee, however this caused multiple problems for him. Occasionally it would bend when he put his weight on it, causing him to fall. So when his son, Dougie, came along he was too nervous to carry him. He said: "I had the old leg when Dougie was born. I could have never have carried him with that leg."
That is no longer a problem, as Richard has now been fitted with a replacement leg, complete with a microprocessor knee, or MPK, providing far more stability. MKPs are artificial knee joints with a built-in programmable computer that constantly controls the swing and stance phases of the leg’s movement, using sensors to adapt to the individual user’s gait. Two years ago, Swansea Bay became the first Welsh health board to provide them, with Welsh Government funding for 11 eligible patients a year.
With Richard's new high tech leg he is able to carry his son without the fear of falling. He said: “After using the new MPK leg for a week or two, I was confident I could. It took a little bit of time but I started carrying him, walking with one stick, and then I progressed to no sticks.
“At the moment I’m not carrying him so much because he’s crawling. He follows me everywhere now. But the new knee has been absolutely life-changing for me. It has really pushed me on in my recovery, and my progress in everything.
“The MPK is incredible. An absolutely brilliant bit of kit. I’d never go back. I’d never be anywhere near where I am now, with my old leg.”
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