Rick Viner was enjoying a day out in London when he was suddenly left unable to walk – the next day he was told he would need both legs amputated due to an incredibly rare infection
A proud grandad went from enjoying a trip to London to having both his legs amputated in just a matter of hours.
Rick Viner, 70, was suddenly left unable to walk during his day out. The following day, he was hit with heartshattering news that would change his life forever.
The Oxfordshire man had just taken an early retirement and had “big plans”, including travelling with his wife, Zena Viner, when he started experiencing leg pain.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, his daughter, Gemma Brooks, 36, described him as “very fit and healthy” man, who did alot of walking.
Gemma, who has two brothers, said he had the pain for “months” but didn’t think much of it, and when he went to the doctors on various occasions, it “wasn’t taken seriously”. Then, one day during the summer of 2021, things took a worrying turn.
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“My parents went on a day out of London, and my dad’s legs basically just stopped working. He was with my mum, and he just had to sit down in the middle of the street; he couldn’t walk,” Gemma explained.
He went to a hospital in London, but started to regain feeling in his legs, so returned to Oxfordshire and went to a hospital in their local area instead. However, in a matter of hours, he was given some devastating news.
“He sat in the hospital bed, and they said to him, ‘We think we’re going to have to amputate your leg, one of them’. They did some more tests, and they found that both his legs were full of blood clots,” Gemma shared.
“They then said to us that it was worse than they thought, and they were going to have to amputate both of his legs. He went from walking around London one day, to being told ‘you’re never going to walk again’. It was overnight.”
Gemma explained that originally, doctors were hoping they’d be able to do surgery to “break the blood clots down” in his legs, but they “wouldn’t break down.” They had also hoped that they might be able to save one leg, but unfortunately, it wasn’t possible.
Just days later, Rick had both legs amputated, just below the knee. At this point, doctors still weren’t sure what had caused the blood clots, and they also discovered a blood clot in his groin.
Rick underwent emergency surgery to remove the blood clot in his groin, and test results revealed that he had an incredibly rare condition called Aspergillus Fumigatus Aortitis. This is a life-threatening infection of the aorta caused by the A. fumigatus fungus, which can occur after cardiac surgery.
Gemma explained that her dad underwent a valve replacement in his heart a few years prior, and while he was doing “really well”, the fungus had “got in and attached itself to that weak spot on his heart.”
She explained: “While his heart had been pumping blood around his body, it had been pumping the fungus around his body too, and that’s what caused the blood clots in his legs.
“He’s stuck with this condition. When they first diagnosed it, they said he could have days, months or years to live; they just can’t put a number on it because it’s so incredibly rare.
“He went from being fit, healthy and looking towards retirement, to being told your life is now completely changed forever.”
The family were told that the condition is not something that can be cured, and they have no idea how long Rick will be able to live with the infection.
Rick walked with prosthetics for a while, but earlier this year, he experienced constant pain in one of his legs, and they found that he had a bone infection. This saw him undergo another operation to amputate his left leg higher up, through the knee, to remove the infected bone.
Gemma shared that her dad has also suffered from a couple of strokes as a result of the blood clots, which have impacted his speech and his memory. “When he first had a stroke, my mum called me and said, ‘Can you come round, your dad’s not making any sense’,” Gemma recalled.
“I went round, we did all the usual tests, but he was slurring his speech and couldn’t remember or say certain things. I said to him, ‘Dad, do you think you might be having a stroke?’, and he just nodded.”
Gemma admitted that there are “little things that are really sad” about her beloved dad’s condition, including when “he can’t get out what he’s trying to say and he’ll muddle up words.”
She shared that her mum is her dad’s full-time carer, and he’s on around “33 tablets a day” for his medication, one of which is what “keeps the fungus dampened down”, but it does not prevent or cure it.
Gemma explained: “It’s like when you get mould in your bathroom, you clean it and it goes away, but then it comes back. It’s never actually fully gone, so basically the medication is just dampening it down, keeping it at bay, but it is going to keep coming back.”
It’s been four years since Rick had his diagnosis and Gemma, who has three young children, said their focus is on making memories as a family. She shared: “He’s doing OK now. He’s four years in now, and to be honest, none of us thought we’d see.
“We’re trying to do lots of family things together, lots of nice holidays together, and they took us on a cruise last year. So lots of lovely things together while we still have that chance, and while dad’s still able to.”
She added: “He has come to terms now that he’s a wheelchair user, which took a lot for him as he was fit and active.
“It’s really hard and sad; he has good days and he has bad days, we just try to make the best of every moment. We’re a very close family, and we live just up the road from my parents.”
Now, Gemma is running the Oxford half-marathon on Sunday, 12 October, to raise money for the Fungal Infection Trust. She is also supporting Diabetes UK, as her younger brother has Type 1 diabetes.
She shared: “I did some cross-country running for secondary school, and my dad used to come on his bike with me, and cycle beside me and keep me going. So in my head, that’s what I’m thinking of when I’m running now, and he’s really proud.
“When I signed up, I thought, I’ve got my legs, so I need to use them, and that’s what’s getting me through.”
You can view Gemma’s JustGiving page here. (www.justgiving.com/team/gemmabrooks)