Young Mountaineering Dad loses Leg after Cancer

We have started this fundraiser on behalf of our brother Huw and his young family as they navigate the biggest challenge they have ever faced.

Any funds raised will go towards getting their lives back on track and helping Huw regain his independence. This kind of help will have an immense impact on the quality of their lives and allow them some time to heal.

This is his story in his own words

"I would never have dreamt that I would be in this position. Where I am so openly and publicly asking for help and sharing one of the biggest traumas that I’m presently still going through.

Fifteen weeks ago, I underwent a major procedure to remove a cancerous tumour. Despite the best efforts of my incredible surgeons, the operation went horribly wrong, putting myself and my family in need of asking for your support today.

I've dedicated my life to working with emotionally wounded children and young people, ranging from those with learning disabilities to those in residential children's homes and supported lodgings. My own childhood was challenging, marked by placement in the foster care system, isolation, and a sense of not belonging.

Nature, particularly the woodlands, became my refuge, offering acceptance and a sense of belonging. This is what saved me and what I wanted to offer to the children and young people I worked with.

Over 15 years, I tirelessly trained in child therapy, shamanism, rock climbing instruction, and UK and international mountain leadership. My goal was to provide opportunities for children and young people to find their place they can call home and experience the healing power of the natural world.

In June of this year, my life took an unexpected turn with a Chondrosarcoma diagnosis, a large bone tumour in my pelvis. To combat this, I underwent major surgery.

The 8-hour planned surgery turned into a grueling 22 hours in the operating theater, the surgical team managed to stabilize me and move me to the Intensive Care Unit. I remained unconscious in an induced coma for six weeks battling sepsis, multi-organ failure, and constant temperature spikes due to infection.

Eventually, my medical team had to make a tough decision – to perform an external hemipelvectomy, amputating my leg up to the pelvis. It was a drastic measure, but it saved my life.

After this journey through the darkest days, I'm grateful to say that I'm now cancer-free. When my surgeons explained the severity of my condition and the loss of my leg, I profusely thanked them for saving my life and giving me the opportunity to continue being a father to our beautiful 4-year-old daughter, Ada, and a partner to my fiancée, Jess.

However, due to the extended time I spent in a coma, significant muscle wastage has left me bedbound and physically immobile. I spent two months in the Intensive Care Unit until I was stable enough to be transferred to a hospital specializing in physical rehabilitation.

Even after nearly four months, I am still in the hospital with no end date in sight for my return home. While we have received incredible support from family, friends and the community, our main source of income, which was self-employment, has been lost. My partner has taken on full-time care of our daughter and supporting me, making it impossible for her to work.

This has led us into a second crisis, as we are unable to earn enough to cover our living expenses during this challenging time and the long road ahead as we adapt to this life-altering change.

Being fiercely independent, I've always handled home improvement and maintenance myself. However, since losing my leg, we will now rely on others to do what I would have done myself.

Your contributions will go a long way in supporting us over the next year to help cover:

Since losing my leg, I've experienced moments of grief for the life I once knew and immense gratitude for a second chance to be a father and partner. I have never found it easy to ask for help, but this situation is bigger than me. I need to do everything I can to protect and support my family in the face of this life-altering change.

I'm asking, with an open heart, for your help so that we can safely navigate this journey together as a family until we find solid ground once more.

Thank you for any and all contributions made and thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Huw"