My name is Georgia, and I am trying to raise awareness and hopefully funds to help my husband after a life-changing infection he suffered exactly one year ago.

On a Sunday in April 2025, he went for a cold water swim in Stroud, something he always really enjoyed.

Overnight he became seriously unwell. At first we thought it was the flu, he had pain in his groin, and had a high temperature. It quickly became clear that something was very wrong. 24 hours after the fever started his left leg had turned bright red, with the infection spreading all the way up to his knee. We rushed to hospital not really knowing what to expect.

We were later told by doctors that he had likely contracted the infection through a small crack in his heel. He was prescribed oral antibiotics and sent home, but the infection did not respond the way it should have.

Over the following weeks we made four separate trips back to hospital, each time hoping for stronger treatment and each time being sent home again with different or stronger oral antibiotics. We truly felt that intravenous treatment was needed, but it was never given.

Eventually the infection did clear, but by that point the damage had already been done.

The severity of the infection caused permanent damage to his lymphatic system, leaving him with lymphedema in his left leg. At first we believed the swelling would go down on its own, but it didn’t. Months later, after going back to the GP, we were told that this was now a lifelong condition that he would have to manage.

His leg is now significantly swollen, at times almost double the size of the other, and it affects him every single day. But what has been hardest is the way it has changed how he lives his life.

For as long as I have known him, he has been a barefoot wanderer. He grew up by the ocean, always in the sand and the sea, and even here he has always been the same. Now he can never be barefoot again. He has to wear compression constantly, protect his leg at all times, and even something as simple as wearing shorts is difficult for him.

The freedom he once had has been taken away, and I see how much that affects him every day.

It has also had a huge impact on our children. They have had to adjust to seeing their dad in discomfort, unable to move as freely as he once did. Simple things like playing, being active together, or even spontaneous days out have changed. There is a constant awareness around protecting his leg, avoiding knocks or infections, and it has inevitably affected the way we live as a family. It’s been difficult for them to understand why their dad can’t always do the things he used to, and that has been heartbreaking to witness.

Since this happened, we have done everything we can to manage the condition. We have attended GP appointments, spent hundreds on compression garments and lymphatic drainage, and tried to adjust to a completely new way of living. But management is not the same as a solution.

We have recently learned about a specialist surgery called lymphaticovenular anastomosis, which is carried out in Oxford. This procedure works by reconnecting the damaged lymphatic system, helping fluid to drain properly again. It offers a real chance to reduce the swelling, improve his comfort, and give him some of his life back.

However, the cost is around £20,000, which is far beyond what we can afford.

I never thought I would be in a position where I would need to ask for help like this, but if there is a chance to give him even part of his freedom back, we have to try.

We are not expecting everything to return to how it was, but we are hoping for the possibility that he might feel more like himself again.

Any support, whether through a donation or simply sharing this, would mean more to us than we can express. Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

G X