Help Steven get urgent surgery to save him losing his leg

Hi I'm Maggi and I'm fundraising for Steven Winter who has recently been working as my handyman, a very kind and caring man who previously worked in the care sector (Royal National Institute for Deaf People ) and is now suffering from highly painful and dangerous blood clots in his legs. The NHS will not offer the urgent repeat vascular surgery he needs, even though they acknowledge he risks losing a leg. I suspect this is down to funding. It is common for this kind of bypass surgery to fail at first, and can need several attempts. Their previous two attempts haven't worked and they are reluctant to try again, telling him that amputation may be his only option. This is even though it is common medical knowledge that this condition often needs several attempts to clear clots for good. The waiting list to be seen again by an NHS specialist is 5 months. He cannot wait this long in such pain and anxiety - if he loses his leg he will no longer be able work, which he needs both financially and mentally.

Steven urgently needs to find a private surgeon for a successful operation. He may need to travel to Germany for this where the best vascular surgeons practice.

Steven deserves our help because of how much he has cared for others all his life, both privately and professionally. As a handyman he has been a treasure, charging far less than any others for very conscientious work. I have spoken to other clients of his and they say the same as me. At the same time he has been working as a carer for a very difficult man who took him for granted and couldn't keep any other helpers. He also looks after all the house maintenance for his ageing mother.

His mum Pam says "I am worried sick about him and haven't seen him for weeks as travelling is out of the question. He's always been so helpful doing things for one person or another, and he looked after that difficult old man for years. He is so conscientious - just the same with everything he does."

Steven's daughter Rheanna agrees -"The NHS seem to be just neglecting him, there's no real urgency to get to the root of the problem, and discharging him with just painkillers is cruel. To describe my Dad, I would say throughout my childhood he always put me and my sister first, paying for her dance lessons and taking me to Devon on weekends. He's so hardworking and will put his work first over his well-being because he likes to do a good job - but now he really must look after himself for a change."

We would be most grateful if you can help us raise enough money to get Steven to a specialist private consultant who can operate successfully, so Steven can enjoy the rest of his life.