Hi. I’m Kirsty, Wes’s younger sister. I’m raising funds on behalf of my amazing brother to help him get through the most traumatic and challenging time of his life.
After a terrible freak accident on 30/03/2025, Wes sustained a life changing Calcaneal (heel) fracture. He is currently in hospital and is facing at least another month on the ward, and that is very best case scenario. There is a very real and high (actually inevitable) risk that his leg is going to have to be amputated below the knee. At this point it is pretty much guaranteed.
This is a very rare fracture that has a very low chance of a good outcome even if things go well with reconstructive attempts. Only 2% of fractures worldwide are calcaneal and Wes’s type is even more rare and serious, with much poorer outcomes. This fracture, when it happens, needs to be operated on within a matter of hours. The hospital was inexperienced and incompetent and made him wait three days for surgery. We now know in hindsight that Wes should have been transferred to a Major Trauma Unit but the doctors at the first hospital did not do this.
Wes was also losing feeling in his foot and despite repeatedly telling them this he was brushed off and they failed to act. As a result there is now permanent and irreversible damage to his nerves. There is a large area of his foot where he has absolutely no feeling at all and this is permanent.
The first surgery was a complete failure and the CT scan on 14/04 showed catastrophic breakdown of bone, tissue and tendons. His Achilles tendon was completely obliterated. The NHS doctors failed to tell Wes any of this and just told him the surgery needed to be repeated as it had failed. The scan showed severe Osteomyelitis and tissue infection, which turned out to be MRSA which is very hard to cure. The osteomyelitis can also simmer for YEARS if not for the rest of his life if he keeps his foot. At this point, amputation is inevitable the way things are going. The doctors failed to give him antibiotics after his first surgery which went completely against NHS guidelines. They also went against their “Duty of Candour” as doctors.
The second surgery went ahead and failed again. Wes was put on antibiotics on 16/04 but what we now know and what they knew but failed to say was that with the metalwork still in place, the chances of his MRSA Osteomyelitis healing was ZERO. The bacteria binds to the metal and creates a biofilm that NO antibiotic can penetrate.
At this point we decided ourselves to move Wes to a Major Trauma Unit, this is where he is now. He has already had three surgeries there and is fighting with everything he has to keep his leg. They did the 3rd surgery at the second hospital and found extensive damage and infection. The back part of Wes’s heel was black from infection and had to be removed. This was when Wes discovered the damage to his Achilles tendon and was told he’d need a tendon transplant from his toe to his Achilles area. If this goes ahead his mobility will be ZERO. Nothing at all. Without below the knee amputation he faces lifelong chronic pain, walking aids, no ability to move his foot, a terrible limp, constant infections and surgeries. His chances of amputation even with the very best reconstructive surgery are actually inevitable. He will lose his leg eventually. The chances are off the scale high. His best chance at any semblance of a normal life is amputation which will give him a 70-90% chance of good mobility and a normal life.
Wes has a very long road ahead of him. Many more surgeries and there is so much uncertainty. If things go right, it will still be a YEAR before Wes can even put his foot on the ground. And like I said before, he is facing a life of misery and pain. He will also face having to use walking aids, have adaptations at home and will have to buy an automatic car.
Blunt Truth: This Foot Cannot Function. Even if infection cleared later, Wesley would still be left with:
• No Achilles tendon
• A structurally compromised heel
• No ability to push off or walk unaided
• Skin and soft tissue at high risk of breakdown
• A life of dressings, pain, antibiotics, and uncertainty.
His surgeon is currently trying to push for salvage but we know the statistics and we know for sure that reconstruction is not really a viable option. His chances of having no issues after surgery are less than 5%.
I wrote the above only a few days ago and I will leave it as it is as it is still important for you to all understand what happened but going forward this is the latest update.
May 25th 2025.
As of today, 25/05/2025, after private consultations with experts, Wes watching hours and hours of lectures regarding calcaneal fractures and what terrible outcomes they have. He has made the final decision to amputate.
We noticed that over the last week his VAC pump attached his leg was not extracting any blood. We now know that that means there is no vascular activity. There is no blood flow in that region and his arteries and arterial branches are now irreversibly destroyed. The strength and courage it has taken for Wes to make this decision is so admirable and brave. He consulted with a doctor on his team who confirmed that this is the right choice and if they were in his position they’d do the same.
Those of you who know Wes will know how much he has been through in his life, the hurdles he has overcome. You will also know how important it is to him to be active and just how much he loves his riding.
He was seen by a prosthetic consultant and right now he has said amputation is Wesley’s best option. He is strong, young, fit and healthy. Right now he is able to do this. We know he can overcome this physically and emotionally with time. What he can’t overcome is years of misery and pain which results in losing his limb anyway.
Wes needs to be active. He needs the hope of getting back on his feet to survive. Wes. The Wes who was first team rugby captain, the one who competed in the Roof of Africa, not just once, and smashed it. Wes the enduro and motocross champion. The Wes we know that received Natal colours for sports and was Victor Ludorum at school. Wake boarding master! He refuses to be Wes the disabled. Wes, the man with a limp using a cane or even worse, a wheelchair. Wes, who can’t even walk around a supermarket pain free or take a walk in the park with his kids.
You will also know that Wes works in construction and this has quite literally turned his life upside down and inside out. How can he ever work in construction again? Even in the best possible scenario with reconstructive surgery he had almost no hope. We’re talking about someone so generous he would give his own shirt off his back to help someone in need. He is not the type to ask for charity but I feel he has no other choice. My brother needs help. This is not about pride. This is survival.
Wes has already been fighting this for 8 weeks. To date we are 5 surgeries in and still counting. This happened on 30/03/2025. He and his beautiful family need help to survive. To pay bills and rent. To buy food. Without Wes’s earnings, the family cannot survive. We are currently in the process of trying to get government assistance but even the highest rate of disability payments won’t touch sides until Wes can start earning somehow again.
His amazing wife, Jen, is holding the family together right now but her salary is just not enough for them to survive, not even close. Just like Wes, her strength and grit have been nothing short of amazing. Despite her own health struggles with diverticulitis and fibromyalgia, she still gets up everyday and fights for her family. Sits at his side when she is not at work or looking after the home and tending to her children’s emotional needs.
His children have been struggling but have been nothing short of incredible. Kayla has stepped up and been the most wonderful and supportive carer when Jen or I can’t be with him. Jono has been so supportive, he has been providing Wes with everything he can to keep him occupied like iPads, games etc. He also built a fence to protect their doggies (I’ll get to that in a bit) Jono and Kayla have also tirelessly been researching every possible outcome, trying to find solutions. They are both incredibly smart and their help has been invaluable. Lulu bug has been struggling immensely with anxiety. She’s had to take time off school because the stress of all of this has made her so physically ill. Her asthma has never been so bad. She sleeps in her dad’s spot at night just to feel close to him. And yet, whenever she sees her dad she manages to keep a smile on her face and hide her fear to be strong for him. She is so much like her dad in so many ways. All of his kids are. True warriors.
The family cannot reconcile this version of Wes with the version we all know. The one with the silly tattoos we used to tease him about. “No Fear” and “Never Give Up”. Now we look at them and they suddenly don’t seem so funny. They’re a testament to his character and everything he stands for.
His gorgeous woofies, little Jockie and Max, are suffering. No one could’ve foreseen the effect Wes’s longtime hospitalisation would have on them. They are both an anxious mess. Both physically ill and can’t eat or sleep. They cry for him constantly. Jockie tried to run away which is so unlike him. He got caught in the fence and this is why sweet Jono fixed the fences to prevent it from happening again.
I apologise in advance for images that I will share in the updates. I can’t really make people understand how horrific this all is without showing you these images. I will also share scans and explain what they show.
Any donation, however big or small would be so appreciated. Please share with those that know Wes and let’s get him the help he needs financially so he can focus on getting better. That is the number one goal right now.
My big brother has been my rock for so many years. He is the strongest person I know. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to help a person in need. My brother has saved lives, given jobs to people in their darkest times, given money to people who needed help, given people a roof over their head and filled their bellies when they couldn’t help themselves. I could go on and on about just how special and wonderful he is but if you are someone that knows him you already know all of this and know how true it is. I have tried my best to be by his side through it all. All my free time is spent with my brother. I drop my kids at school, go straight to the hospital, stay until I have to collect my children and then still have to do what any other good mother does for her kids. And I have four of them. When I’m not with him and my children are settled and fed, I’m fighting for answers, consulting with specialists, fighting the hospital that did this to him and building his legal and disability cases.
Let’s band together and help this legend of a human being through his toughest trial. I know that together we can do it.
Wes’s new motivational quote is “one small hop at a time” He hasn’t lost his spirit or humour despite his struggles right now. This is such a strong testament to his character.
Let’s keep him strong together by digging deep and supporting him through this. We are all in such deep shock over what has happened and how it has come to this. After his accident we had no idea what he was in for. It was only very recently that Wes came across a saying to do with calcaneal fractures; “The man who breaks his heel bone is done” That is a quote from 1916 and we will NOT let that be the case here. Wes has too much to live for. Too much he still wants to achieve. Too much of the world he has yet to see.
He has been given an excellent statistic of success with below the knee amputation, 95%! He lifted that Prosthetics Consultant right off the floor with just one arm during his strength tests. That doesn’t mean this will be easy. It won’t. His rehab alone can take up to a year. The emotional toll is going to be enormous. But once that is done and he is back on his feet, I know he will smash it. We all know he will.
Thank you all so much. I will follow up via updates with more pictures and scans.
Bless you all and please dig deep if you can. Please share with anyone you think can help
Sending love from Wes and all of the family.
“One Small Hop At A Time” ❤️
After a terrible freak accident on 30/03/2025, Wes sustained a life changing Calcaneal (heel) fracture. He is currently in hospital and is facing at least another month on the ward, and that is very best case scenario. There is a very real and high (actually inevitable) risk that his leg is going to have to be amputated below the knee. At this point it is pretty much guaranteed.
This is a very rare fracture that has a very low chance of a good outcome even if things go well with reconstructive attempts. Only 2% of fractures worldwide are calcaneal and Wes’s type is even more rare and serious, with much poorer outcomes. This fracture, when it happens, needs to be operated on within a matter of hours. The hospital was inexperienced and incompetent and made him wait three days for surgery. We now know in hindsight that Wes should have been transferred to a Major Trauma Unit but the doctors at the first hospital did not do this.
Wes was also losing feeling in his foot and despite repeatedly telling them this he was brushed off and they failed to act. As a result there is now permanent and irreversible damage to his nerves. There is a large area of his foot where he has absolutely no feeling at all and this is permanent.
The first surgery was a complete failure and the CT scan on 14/04 showed catastrophic breakdown of bone, tissue and tendons. His Achilles tendon was completely obliterated. The NHS doctors failed to tell Wes any of this and just told him the surgery needed to be repeated as it had failed. The scan showed severe Osteomyelitis and tissue infection, which turned out to be MRSA which is very hard to cure. The osteomyelitis can also simmer for YEARS if not for the rest of his life if he keeps his foot. At this point, amputation is inevitable the way things are going. The doctors failed to give him antibiotics after his first surgery which went completely against NHS guidelines. They also went against their “Duty of Candour” as doctors.
The second surgery went ahead and failed again. Wes was put on antibiotics on 16/04 but what we now know and what they knew but failed to say was that with the metalwork still in place, the chances of his MRSA Osteomyelitis healing was ZERO. The bacteria binds to the metal and creates a biofilm that NO antibiotic can penetrate.
At this point we decided ourselves to move Wes to a Major Trauma Unit, this is where he is now. He has already had three surgeries there and is fighting with everything he has to keep his leg. They did the 3rd surgery at the second hospital and found extensive damage and infection. The back part of Wes’s heel was black from infection and had to be removed. This was when Wes discovered the damage to his Achilles tendon and was told he’d need a tendon transplant from his toe to his Achilles area. If this goes ahead his mobility will be ZERO. Nothing at all. Without below the knee amputation he faces lifelong chronic pain, walking aids, no ability to move his foot, a terrible limp, constant infections and surgeries. His chances of amputation even with the very best reconstructive surgery are actually inevitable. He will lose his leg eventually. The chances are off the scale high. His best chance at any semblance of a normal life is amputation which will give him a 70-90% chance of good mobility and a normal life.
Wes has a very long road ahead of him. Many more surgeries and there is so much uncertainty. If things go right, it will still be a YEAR before Wes can even put his foot on the ground. And like I said before, he is facing a life of misery and pain. He will also face having to use walking aids, have adaptations at home and will have to buy an automatic car.
Blunt Truth: This Foot Cannot Function. Even if infection cleared later, Wesley would still be left with:
• No Achilles tendon
• A structurally compromised heel
• No ability to push off or walk unaided
• Skin and soft tissue at high risk of breakdown
• A life of dressings, pain, antibiotics, and uncertainty.
His surgeon is currently trying to push for salvage but we know the statistics and we know for sure that reconstruction is not really a viable option. His chances of having no issues after surgery are less than 5%.
I wrote the above only a few days ago and I will leave it as it is as it is still important for you to all understand what happened but going forward this is the latest update.
May 25th 2025.
As of today, 25/05/2025, after private consultations with experts, Wes watching hours and hours of lectures regarding calcaneal fractures and what terrible outcomes they have. He has made the final decision to amputate.
We noticed that over the last week his VAC pump attached his leg was not extracting any blood. We now know that that means there is no vascular activity. There is no blood flow in that region and his arteries and arterial branches are now irreversibly destroyed. The strength and courage it has taken for Wes to make this decision is so admirable and brave. He consulted with a doctor on his team who confirmed that this is the right choice and if they were in his position they’d do the same.
Those of you who know Wes will know how much he has been through in his life, the hurdles he has overcome. You will also know how important it is to him to be active and just how much he loves his riding.
He was seen by a prosthetic consultant and right now he has said amputation is Wesley’s best option. He is strong, young, fit and healthy. Right now he is able to do this. We know he can overcome this physically and emotionally with time. What he can’t overcome is years of misery and pain which results in losing his limb anyway.
Wes needs to be active. He needs the hope of getting back on his feet to survive. Wes. The Wes who was first team rugby captain, the one who competed in the Roof of Africa, not just once, and smashed it. Wes the enduro and motocross champion. The Wes we know that received Natal colours for sports and was Victor Ludorum at school. Wake boarding master! He refuses to be Wes the disabled. Wes, the man with a limp using a cane or even worse, a wheelchair. Wes, who can’t even walk around a supermarket pain free or take a walk in the park with his kids.
You will also know that Wes works in construction and this has quite literally turned his life upside down and inside out. How can he ever work in construction again? Even in the best possible scenario with reconstructive surgery he had almost no hope. We’re talking about someone so generous he would give his own shirt off his back to help someone in need. He is not the type to ask for charity but I feel he has no other choice. My brother needs help. This is not about pride. This is survival.
Wes has already been fighting this for 8 weeks. To date we are 5 surgeries in and still counting. This happened on 30/03/2025. He and his beautiful family need help to survive. To pay bills and rent. To buy food. Without Wes’s earnings, the family cannot survive. We are currently in the process of trying to get government assistance but even the highest rate of disability payments won’t touch sides until Wes can start earning somehow again.
His amazing wife, Jen, is holding the family together right now but her salary is just not enough for them to survive, not even close. Just like Wes, her strength and grit have been nothing short of amazing. Despite her own health struggles with diverticulitis and fibromyalgia, she still gets up everyday and fights for her family. Sits at his side when she is not at work or looking after the home and tending to her children’s emotional needs.
His children have been struggling but have been nothing short of incredible. Kayla has stepped up and been the most wonderful and supportive carer when Jen or I can’t be with him. Jono has been so supportive, he has been providing Wes with everything he can to keep him occupied like iPads, games etc. He also built a fence to protect their doggies (I’ll get to that in a bit) Jono and Kayla have also tirelessly been researching every possible outcome, trying to find solutions. They are both incredibly smart and their help has been invaluable. Lulu bug has been struggling immensely with anxiety. She’s had to take time off school because the stress of all of this has made her so physically ill. Her asthma has never been so bad. She sleeps in her dad’s spot at night just to feel close to him. And yet, whenever she sees her dad she manages to keep a smile on her face and hide her fear to be strong for him. She is so much like her dad in so many ways. All of his kids are. True warriors.
The family cannot reconcile this version of Wes with the version we all know. The one with the silly tattoos we used to tease him about. “No Fear” and “Never Give Up”. Now we look at them and they suddenly don’t seem so funny. They’re a testament to his character and everything he stands for.
His gorgeous woofies, little Jockie and Max, are suffering. No one could’ve foreseen the effect Wes’s longtime hospitalisation would have on them. They are both an anxious mess. Both physically ill and can’t eat or sleep. They cry for him constantly. Jockie tried to run away which is so unlike him. He got caught in the fence and this is why sweet Jono fixed the fences to prevent it from happening again.
I apologise in advance for images that I will share in the updates. I can’t really make people understand how horrific this all is without showing you these images. I will also share scans and explain what they show.
Any donation, however big or small would be so appreciated. Please share with those that know Wes and let’s get him the help he needs financially so he can focus on getting better. That is the number one goal right now.
My big brother has been my rock for so many years. He is the strongest person I know. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to help a person in need. My brother has saved lives, given jobs to people in their darkest times, given money to people who needed help, given people a roof over their head and filled their bellies when they couldn’t help themselves. I could go on and on about just how special and wonderful he is but if you are someone that knows him you already know all of this and know how true it is. I have tried my best to be by his side through it all. All my free time is spent with my brother. I drop my kids at school, go straight to the hospital, stay until I have to collect my children and then still have to do what any other good mother does for her kids. And I have four of them. When I’m not with him and my children are settled and fed, I’m fighting for answers, consulting with specialists, fighting the hospital that did this to him and building his legal and disability cases.
Let’s band together and help this legend of a human being through his toughest trial. I know that together we can do it.
Wes’s new motivational quote is “one small hop at a time” He hasn’t lost his spirit or humour despite his struggles right now. This is such a strong testament to his character.
Let’s keep him strong together by digging deep and supporting him through this. We are all in such deep shock over what has happened and how it has come to this. After his accident we had no idea what he was in for. It was only very recently that Wes came across a saying to do with calcaneal fractures; “The man who breaks his heel bone is done” That is a quote from 1916 and we will NOT let that be the case here. Wes has too much to live for. Too much he still wants to achieve. Too much of the world he has yet to see.
He has been given an excellent statistic of success with below the knee amputation, 95%! He lifted that Prosthetics Consultant right off the floor with just one arm during his strength tests. That doesn’t mean this will be easy. It won’t. His rehab alone can take up to a year. The emotional toll is going to be enormous. But once that is done and he is back on his feet, I know he will smash it. We all know he will.
Thank you all so much. I will follow up via updates with more pictures and scans.
Bless you all and please dig deep if you can. Please share with anyone you think can help
Sending love from Wes and all of the family.
“One Small Hop At A Time” ❤️
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