A man who was told he would never walk again made a life-changing decision to remove his leg.
Mike Elkins was involved in a road traffic accident after he crashed into a parked car in a moment that changed his life forever. Despite five years of being in and out of hospital and 15 operations, his leg was not improving.
When he was 27-years-old, Mike, from Upton, made the tough decision to have his leg amputated in 1997, five years on from the crash in 1992. The now-56-year-old said: "I was lucky to come away with the injuries I did but I'd swerved and hit a parked car because I was distracted by something else on the other side of the road.
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"My leg was hit with full impact and ended up underneath the car, I was in hospital for two months straight. I became a self-elected amputee and it was the biggest decision of my life, it would've been traumatic for anyone but I had to do it to improve my quality of life.
"My leg wouldn't fix, no matter what they did, I even had muscle taken from my back but in those five years I went through absolute hell. In the end I'd had enough, I didn't want to go through it all I wanted to get on with my life and it's been a learning curve, it still is."
Through the years, Mike - a former Merseyrail security officer - has dealt with negative comments and "finger pointing" while he wears his prosthetic leg as it came. He said he refused cosmetics to make it look like a "real leg" and often hears people saying it "looks disgusting" and he should "cover it up".
But he is now showing off his new leg with pride after a custom design led to a music legend signing it. For Christmas last year, Mike's wife Lesley, presented him with a voucher for a custom-made prosthetic leg cover in homage to his favourite band.
Designed by award-winning Welsh company LIMB-Art, the Pink Floyd inspired leg cover was delivered to Mike last week after being autographed by Nick Mason in his London studios. His message also includes the inscription “Shine On”.
Mike said: "I’ve been a huge fan of Pink Floyd all my life so to receive the signed leg cover from Nick Mason was really special. I’m so touched that LIMB-Art sorted that for me."
He told the ECHO: "Getting Nick Mason to sign it came out of the blue. I was at hospital at the time and Mark (who designed the leg cover) messaged out of the blue saying the leg was ready but he had sent it down to get signed by Nick.
"I couldn't believe it. He even sent me a picture of him signing it. When I did get it I was blown away, all my family and friends think it's amazing and it's unique. There's only one like it in the world, it's fantastic.
"It's like a removable tattoo and it makes me feel good wearing it."
Mark Williams, founder of North Wales based LIMB-Art, has won numerous awards for his prosthetic leg covers, which he sells to eleven countries around the world and which are available in the UK on the NHS. He is also about to launch in America.
Mark, who lost his own leg in a cycling accident after being hit by a car when he was ten, said: “The Pink Floyd leg cover for Mike was one of the most inspirational covers we have ever made and the first to ever be signed. When we heard Mike was such a huge fan of the band, we designed a leg cover to incorporate their iconic hits, including Another Brick in the Wall and Dark Side of the Moon.
“For the finishing touch, we secretly approached Nick Mason and told him Mike’s story. He said he loved what we were doing and asked if he could sign the cover. It was very moving presenting it to Mike. We have a saying at LIMB-Art, which is ‘stand out, stand proud’ and that’s what our leg covers are designed to do. Instrumental in raising confidence and self-esteem, they are quick and easy to fit and restore balance to a person’s silhouette."
As an amputee, Mike was told if he had his leg removed he would never walk again, but he has continued to cycle, canoe and climb mountains as he tells people you can still "live your life".
He added: "Everyone is different, some people don't have a choice but I was able to make this decision. If you want your quality of life and mobility back, go for it, but it is a big thing.
"It's mentally hard and I've spoken to people who has lost limbs through trauma but sometimes, the only way forward is a prosthetic leg, or arm, or whatever."
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