A woman who lost both her legs because of an “unexplained” and life-threatening blood clot vows she will waltz with her husband to the song that sealed their love on their 27th wedding anniversary in September thanks to her new bionic limbs. A type one diabetic and acutely aware of circulation problems linked to the disease, when Jo Spencer, 54, woke up on the morning of April 30, 2020, to find her left toes had gone black and blue alarm bells rang and she went straight to hospital.
To her horror Jo, who is head of client relations for a financial company, was told doctors had found an unexplained blood clot in her aorta artery, with no connection to her diabetes, which resulted in both legs effectively dying and having to be removed. Facing extraordinary challenges over the past two years as she adjusted to losing her legs, then to walking on “stubbies” – metal poles with a slight foot – and since April 2022 to having bionic micro processing knee (MPK) prosthetics, her husband David Spencer, 53, and their children have got her through.
Jo, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said: “I went to bed one night absolutely fine and eight hours later I had a completely life-changing event. I never expected to wake up that morning and lose both my legs and all my independence.
