Amputee on the up after help

A Yorkshire company has helped change the life for a father who of two who had to have his leg amuptated.

Mark Toner fell 16 feet at work and for that past four years has undergone numerous operations in an attempt to save his leg. Mark’s only way of getting upstairs was backwards. His painful disability meant he stayed downstairs all day, making the slow climb back upstairs just once a day, to go to bed.

“I broke 10 bones in my right leg and severely damaged my left when I fell. After ongoing treatment, I finally made the difficult decision to have it amputated,” said Mark, who lives with his wife Margaret and daughters, four-year-old Aimee and baby Faith who was born seven weeks premature in April. in Newry.

“I was so limited with what I could do in the house and after Faith was born, I felt even more helpless - my wife would have to run up and down stairs looking after all three of us. Looking after any new baby is difficult but when you have a premature baby, everything is so much more stressful. I couldn’t support them without any freedom around the house. I knew something had to change.”

Mark contacted Acorn Stairlifts, a Yorkshire-based manufacturer and the people behind his grandad’s stairlift. “After the visit I realised it was an expense we just couldn’t afford. We’d just had a baby and with so many new priorities and responsibilities, it was simply out of reach. I just broke down and then had to try and put the whole thing out of my mind.” In desperation, Mark’s wife made a second call to Acorn to try to find a solution. Upon hearing Mark’s story , Acorn Stairlifts, offered to provide and install a stairlift for free.

Company secretary, Dave Belmont, said: “When we spoke in detail to Margaret, we were all deeply moved by their story, no-one should feel trapped within their own home and unable to join in normal family life. Unfortunately, we can’t help everyone, but in this case we were pleased to be able to help ease a difficult situation.”

Mark added: “I’m so appreciative of what Acorn Stairlifts has done for me – for all of us. I feel like I’ve got my freedom and my life back. I can be much more hands on with my family which is something I was starting to think would never happen. It’s been transformational for us all.”