A 20-year-old reality TV star, who appeared on Channel 4’s First Dates, paid £64,000 to have his leg amputated.
Watch the man who paid £64,000 to have his leg amputated
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James was born at 28 weeks with his twin brother, Tom. When he was just 18-months-old, his left leg had to be amputated because he developed blood clots in both his legs due to his rare condition – twin-to-twin transfusion disorder.
James Bertrand, from Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, experienced constant leg pain in his right leg due to his rare condition and decided to have his leg amputated after an episode of Supervet where a dog also had his leg amputated.
He said: “My right leg got worse as I grew up and I couldn’t walk on hard surfaces without shoes on. My leg was just so sensitive. It was causing me more problems that my left. I went to see a consultant and he told me that my right leg had to go.”
“If I hadn’t have watched the show then I would never have thought to ask about it. I didn’t think much of it [the episode] at first.
It was actually my mum who asked the question and that’s when it became a possibility.”
“We asked my doctors in Dorset about it and they said it’s already being done on humans. It’s funny how it happened really.”
He then raised £60,000 for surgery and travelled to Australia to have his leg amputated.
He is now pain-free and was able to take his first steps without crutches in August.
He said that he regretted it in the beginning as the recovery was really hard but now he is pain-free and happy with his decision.
He said: “I’m hoping to go travelling to Thailand, Indonesia, and Bali sometime soon. I’m a positive person and just had to stay strong.”
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