Christine Middlebrook - Enjoying a Positive Life
Like all busy, working mums, Christine Middlebrook finds life challenging at times but says she now enjoys ‘a very positive’ life despite losing her right leg at the age of eight.
Christine was born with congenital deformities which meant that one leg was shorter than the other, had bones missing and there was no right hip joint. She has had numerous operations to try and extend her leg but unfortunately the surgery was unsuccessful and resulted in amputation.
Thanks to her parents – and against her consultant’s wishes – Christine was told about the planned amputation and she and her then five year-old sister were able to discuss where the leg might go. Her sister thought it would end “upside down, sticking out of a dustbin” but Christine says she preferred to think of it as “having its own grave”.
After many years of treatment and fittings within the NHS, Christine says she was finally able to seek private treatment in her late 20s after her grandparents offered to help her financially.
At first she was treated by a prosthetist who was able to provide her with a good service but he then left to work elsewhere and she was assigned another prosthetist. Unfortunately, Christine was then diagnosed with a degenerative spinal disease and the clinic felt it was no longer in a position to help her.
“This was not a good time for me,” she says. “I felt like an unwanted problem being shifted to someone else. But then I was referred to PACE founder Richard Hirons. Richard met with me and said he felt he could help me. He was very patient as I was quite uptight and stressed about being able to get a leg that would help slow down the degeneration of my spine.
“I ended up with the best limb I had ever had since losing my leg. Richard kept things light-hearted for me but without dismissing the importance of the whole process for me. He took on board how stressed I get and did his best to reassure me.”
Christine says that meeting Richard has had a very positive impact on her life. “My false limb no longer limits my life - my limitations come from other medical ‘problems’. And if I have a problem I give Richard a call. It is as simple as that. No drama, no fuss, it’s great!”
When Christine fell pregnant in 2000, she says that Richard’s support was invaluable. “I had a very difficult pregnancy and no-one could tell me how it would affect my limb. Richard e-mailed his colleagues and got me some really useful information. He also made me a new leg very quickly when my stump changed shape and made sure my leg did not cause me any problems during this special time for me.”
Christine now enjoys taking her young daughter for short walks in her pushchair and says she is able to walk pain free around the house and the garden although she still uses a wheelchair for distances.
She advises other amputees to stand their ground when it comes to getting the right limb for them. “Don’t be afraid to tell people what you want.”
She also says that you cannot expect to come to terms with losing a limb overnight. “I lost mine 30 years ago and I still have days when I hate being an amputee,” she says. “If you are finding it hard to adjust seek professional help.”
As well as juggling a high pressured job and looking after her young daughter, Christine also finds time to enjoy her hobbies. These include playing the drums and writing books.
She also has responsibility for the financial and administrative side of her husband Dave’s business and still manages to find time to speak about her experiences at events arranged by organisations for the disabled.