Placeholder Content Image

Aussie Olympian amputates finger to compete at Paris Games

<p>Matthew Dawson has amputated part of his ring finger in order to compete in the Olympics. </p> <p>The 30-year-old is set to represent the Australian men's hockey team - the Kookaburras- at this year's Paris Olympics.</p> <p>His Olympic participation was cast into doubt after he broke his finger, but in an extreme show of dedication, he opted to amputate it instead of getting a cast. </p> <p>“I made an informed decision with the plastic surgeon at the time not only for the opportunity to play in Paris but for life after as well,” Dawson told <em>7NEWS</em>.</p> <p>“The best option was for me to take the top of my finger off. It’s a bit of a change at the moment and an exciting challenge, I guess.”</p> <p>He reportedly didn't have much time to make the decision, but reassured that he was well informed before making the big move. </p> <p>“I had made the decision and then I called my wife, and she said, ‘I don’t want you to make a rash decision’, but I had all the information I needed to make the decision not for Paris but for life after,” he said.</p> <p>“Hopefully, I can not take too long to get back to form.”</p> <p>He added: “There are plenty of other issues and other people going on with other stuff in their lives that are bigger than losing a finger, so I’m very fortunate that it’s just a little bit of my finger.” </p> <p>Kookaburras Coach Colin Batch praised Dawson for making the big decision. </p> <p>“Dawson is back in training now. He’s certainly set the bar high for anyone getting a broken finger in the future, but full marks to Matt; he’s made that decision and obviously really committed to playing in Paris,” he said.</p> <p>The coach also told <em>7NEWS</em> that the decision was made entirely by Dawson, and that a coach can't decide for a player. </p> <p>“I’m not sure I would have done it, but he’s done it, so great,” he said.</p> <p>The Aussie hockey team will compete against Argentina on July 27 in their first match for the Paris Olympics.</p> <p><em>Images: Nine</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Several children to undergo amputations after Melbourne school bus crash

<p>Seven school children are in serious condition - with one reportedly in intensive care - in the wake of a horror bus crash in Melbourne. </p> <p>Their nightmare began when their school bus collided with a truck on its way back from Exford Primary School, rolling when it should have been dropping the 45 kids onboard home. </p> <p>And when Royal Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer Bernadette McDonald provided an update for those following the story, she noted that she was surprised all of the children had survived - though their struggle was far from over. </p> <p>They were taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital, all of them aged between the years of five and 11. Two were discharged, but seven remain, with each of their conditions serious. </p> <p>“The children have suffered multiple and traumatic injuries,” she explained, “including partial and complete amputations of arms, multiple crushed limb injuries, severe lacerations to head and body, head injuries, glass shard injuries and three patients are currently receiving spinal support.</p> <p>"Some of these patients will require returns to theatres and multiple surgeries in the coming days and coming weeks."</p> <p>Specialist surgeons - vascular and microplastic - had been called in to help treat the children, McDonald added, as “you would understand with these sorts of injuries very small vessels need to be repaired and reattached.”</p> <p>McDonald went on to note that they were working hard to provide trauma support and care to the families and children, and that “the parents are obviously traumatised. </p> <p>“They had to wait until the early hours of the morning to be reunited with their children."</p> <p>Natalie Hutchins, Victoria’s Education Minister, also spoke out to say counsellors were being arranged for the school, and that their thoughts were with all those involved, “especially those students who were injured and the families this tragedy has touched.</p> <p>"We acknowledge the response from the principal and staff at Exford Primary School, who all attended the scene and ensured every child involved was supported and looked after.</p> <p>"During this difficult time, we request that the community respect the privacy of the school community and all those affected within it."</p> <p>In contrast to the children - who face a long and difficult road to recovery - the bus driver suffered only minor injuries. </p> <p>As for the truck driver, the 49 year old stopped at the scene and is assisting police with their inquiries, with the Major Collision Investigation Unit’s detectives leading the case.</p> <p>So far, Victoria’s Police Superintendent Michael Cruse has revealed that the bus was reportedly trying to turn right at an intersection when the truck collided with its rear, and that “significant” damage was caused in a scene he described as nothing short of “chaotic”. </p> <p><em>Images: 9News / Nine</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Young woman loses all four limbs to mozzie bites

<p>A woman has shared her story of waking up from a coma to discover all four of her limbs had been amputated.</p> <p>Tatiana Timon, 35, was on a dream trip to Angola, South Africa, as part of a dance group, but her health took a turn for the worse when she arrived back home in Camberwell, South London.</p> <p>The 35-year-old had spent 10 days in Angola before flying home and within days her health had declined, leaving her extremely weak.</p> <p>Tatiana was rushed to hospital where doctors confirmed she had contracted a deadly form of malaria.</p> <p>She had contracted the disease from a mosquito bite while overseas in May 2022.</p> <p>Her condition quickly worsened and she was put into an induced coma after developing sepsis.</p> <p>“All of my friends and family were worried because the doctor was telling them that I was going to die, like I was about to die three times", she told <em>MyLondon</em>.</p> <p>In order to stop blood poisoning from spreading to her vital organs, doctors were forced to amputate all four limbs.</p> <p>“When I woke up from the coma I knew, I saw that I was in hospital, and I knew something had happened to me", she said.</p> <p>“At that time I didn’t know how bad it was, like I just knew something had happened.”</p> <p>Tatiana says she strives to come independent and is fitted with prosthetic arms and legs.</p> <p>She shares frequent updates on her Instagram page and vows to stay positive during this hard time.</p> <p>"Now even without limbs I know that I will go back to the gym”, she wrote on one post.</p> <p>“I am determined to go back to being my healthy self, mentally and physically.”</p> <p>Tatiana is currently fundraising with hopes of buying new prosthetics which come with a hefty price tag, costing up to $294,100.</p> <p>“A negative thing I can turn into a positive thing to make my life easier because I don’t like to stress.</p> <p>“It happened, so I need to deal with it.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram/Facebook</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Red Symons says Bert Newton staying positive following leg amputation

<div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in element-type-p"> <p>Fans of Bert Newton have been extremely anxious after news of the TV legend having to have his leg amputated broke on Monday.</p> <p>However, close family friends Rhonda Burchomroe and Red Symons have confirmed that Newton is maintaining his happy outlook on life despite the operation.</p> <p>"I mean I was as shocked as anyone yesterday when I heard the news," Burchmore said.</p> <p>"He is cracking jokes, apparently, with all the medical staff.</p> <p>"He has been in my life and been such a mentor and support for so many people through all the years.</p> <p>"I am sure if anyone can kind of move on and do incredible things he will."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Bert Newtown's family have rallied around the hospitalised TV icon, with his wife Patti saying Bert "chose life" when given an ultimatum by doctors - months to live, or have the lower part of his right leg removed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9Today?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#9Today</a><br /><br />More on this story: <a href="https://t.co/q8LlaT3v2o">https://t.co/q8LlaT3v2o</a> <a href="https://t.co/csekqYOeNa">pic.twitter.com/csekqYOeNa</a></p> — The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTodayShow/status/1391842864221626371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>The 82-year-old entertainment legend is diabetic and has suffered numerous health issues, including undergoing a quadruple heart bypass in 2012.</p> <p>Symons said that the family has high hopes that Newton would be able to continue with his entertainment career.</p> <p>"I guess moving forward, we hope that he is able to come back and work. If he doesn't what a massive body of work that he has," Symons said.</p> </div>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Shocking health news for Bert Newton

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Entertainment legend Bert Newton has reportedly been forced to have his leg amputated after suffering from an infected toe.</p> <p>Entertainment reporter Peter Ford said that the 82-year-old has been battling a serious health problem and said that it was a "life or death" decision to have the amputation.</p> <p>Newton was in hospital over Christmas with a toe infection and his condition continued to deteriorate.</p> <p>“It got worse … he was seeing doctors and specialists and they couldn’t seem to get it right, it kept on spreading. Basically he was told last week, you have a couple of months to live, or if you have your leg amputated, you’ll probably have a few years. So, he agreed to have the leg amputated on Saturday,” Ford told Ross and Russel on 3AW on Monday.</p> <p>“So that was the choice and Bert obviously chose to stick around.”</p> <p>The adjustment will be tough for the Newton family as they currently have stairs in their home and will need to convert them for Bert.</p> <p>“It’s a big decision for anyone to make, but it’s also a practical thing, because they live in a two-storey place with the bedrooms and the bathrooms upstairs, so they’re now having to convert the house downstairs because Patti doesn’t want him to go into a nursing home,” he said.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJNxRECJz81/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CJNxRECJz81/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Patti Newton (@pattinewtonofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“They said, ‘We had a choice. Other people don’t have a choice. Bert wants to keep on living, because he adores Patti, his children and his grandkids, and he wants to have as much time as he can with them’.”</p> <p>“He’s in reasonably good spirits,” Ford said.</p> </div> </div> </div>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Dream holiday turns into horror: Family sues after baby loses legs and fingers

<p>A British family is suing the Royal Caribbean cruise line after their nine-month-old daughter left their trip a triple amputee following a major misdiagnosis onboard.</p> <p>Phoebe Moon and her parents boarded the Symphony of the Seas in February, and found that their baby girl had become ill after they had settled in.</p> <p>“We had never taken her away before and we thought we would have the time of our lives in America, but sadly, it didn’t turn out that way,” said Phoebe’s mother Aimee.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838022/phoebe-baby-amputee-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f23261177ed24fb184dfd8d9c75adf58" /></p> <p>“We actually visited the infirmary five times that day and she just got worse and worse throughout the day,” she said.</p> <p>“Every time we went down (the infirmary), we were sent back to our cabin.”</p> <p>When they refused to leave, the parents say Phoebe was handed antibiotics.</p> <p>Eventually they got off the ship mid-cruise in St Martin to seek help.</p> <p>“When we got to St Martin’s hospital, they said they’ve got about 15 minutes to save her life,” explained Phoebe’s father, Luke.</p> <p>“They said to prepare for the worst because she’s very sick.”</p> <p>Phoebe’s feet, legs, and hands were handed swollen and purple - caused by a severe form of meningitis.</p> <p>“We were just in utter shock to think you left to go on holidays with your daughter and the prospect that you’re not going to be going home with her is unimaginable,” Aimee said.</p> <p>The family say that doctors in Fort Lauderdale had to amputate to save her life.</p> <p>Phoebe lost her feet and the fingers of her left hand.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838023/phoebe-baby-amputee-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/94a00cd7e23d46218b7bc82551f82bd8" /></p> <p>The family has since filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean in Miami, with the family alleging that the cruise line’s doctors misdiagnosed Phoebe with “a stomach bug” despite her showing “classic signs of a life-threatening meningococcal meningitis infection”.</p> <p>Some of those symptoms included lethargy and high fever.</p> <p>Thomas Scolaro is the attorney for the family and told NBC 6: “Listening to their story just breaks my heart every time.</p> <p>“This would otherwise be the world’s most horrific case of medical negligence and damage to the world’s sweetest little child, but it gets substantially worse.”</p> <p>Her parents say every day is a struggle following their daughter’s life-changing surgery.</p> <p>“Even now all she wants to do is get down and walk, and it’s so difficult that she is unable to do that,” Aimee said.</p> <p>“And these challenges are just going to get harder as she gets older.”</p> <p>The family has given a message for other families planning to sail in the future.</p> <p>“We were always under the impression that the medical facilities and staff on a ship were world class and world leading,” Luke said.</p> <p>“We now think that isn’t the case. You are on your own at sea.”</p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Mum forced to have all limbs amputated after getting COVID-19

<p>A coronavirus survivor ended up having all of her hands and feet amputated after contracting life-threatening sepsis.</p> <p>Caroline Coster, 58, showed symptoms for coronavirus at the end of March and spent "two horrible weeks" trying to fight off the virus.</p> <p>She initially started to recover, but took a turn for the worse and was diagnosed with a chest infection.</p> <p>After a quick call to her GP, she was rushed to Bedford Hospital in the UK and was told she had developed sepsis.</p> <p>She was placed in a medically induced coma for almost a month, where her heartbroken family were twice told that the hospital was going to withdraw care if Caroline didn't improve.</p> <p>Writing on her blog, Caroline likened her experience of being in a coma to being “trapped in a video game”.</p> <p>“When the game was switched off, so was I,” she wrote.</p> <p>“When the game was switched on, my experience was disembodied white heads coming towards me and telling me ‘Caroline, Caroline, wake up’.”</p> <p>Much to the hospital's surprise, Caroline started to recover with her vitals starting to heal after a month in the coma.</p> <p>However, as she had been in the coma for so long, her limited blood flow was directed to her brain and vital organs. This means her hands and feet had turned black and died.</p> <p>“They were now a source of pain and a hindrance as she could not use them anymore, so had to be amputated,” Her daughter Hannah, 24, wrote.</p> <p>Caroline explained to the<em> BBC</em> that her hands looked like an "Egyptian mummy".</p> <p>“They were black and shrivelled. I was so grateful to have my life that it wasn’t a huge jolt to lose those,” She said.</p> <p>As her family have been forced to fundraise for Caroline to afford the massive amount of adaptions and specialist equipment that she now needs for her daily life, they started a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/caroline-coster" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">JustGiving</a> page.</p> <p>“She is at peace with the loss of her hands and feet, as they are not what make her the person she is,” writing on a JustGiving page, Caroline’s daughter Hannah said.</p> <p>“She has faced this challenge with a positivity and determination that few of us could match.</p> <p>“However, the reality is that she will require a huge amount of adaptations and specialised equipment in order to be able to live a normal, independent life, return to hobbies and stay in the home she loves.</p> <p>“Sadly, government and NHS funding for many of the items we need is very limited.</p> <p>“The money raised will go towards lots of things, including adaptations around the home, a bathroom she can use independently, private hand prosthetics, and mobility aids.”</p> <p>In just over a month, Caroline's JustGiving page has raised over $95,246.</p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Lisa Wilkinson reveals holiday horror: “My arm nearly had to be amputated”

<p>TV host Lisa Wilkinson has revealed that her arm nearly had to be amputated after an injury she suffered earlier this year in Italy.</p> <p>The 57-year-old journalist shared the frightening news during an event yesterday for Business Chicks at the Westin Hotel in Sydney.</p> <p>Wilkinson was being interview by her Channel 10 colleague Natarsha Balling and revealed that Italian doctors had mistreated her broken wrist after she slipped on the bathroom floor, reported the <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/lisa-wilkinson-reveals-her-arm-nearly-had-to-be-amputated-after-falling-over-in-italy-on-holidays/news-story/fbe1393b4fb68c3dfb165f4dfe46e45c" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em>Daily Telegraph</em></strong></span></a>.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BWhFiXChtJa/" target="_blank">And so ends my beautiful Italian holiday with two badly broken bones after a shocking fall on a wet bathroom floor. For all the ouchy hurty details see my column at @huffpostau or on my twitter feed. 😢</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by Lisa Wilkinson (@lisa_wilkinson) on Jul 13, 2017 at 11:30pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The doctors were very sweet but not very talented and they put a cast on that cut off my circulation for four or five days,” she said.</p> <p>After returning home from the trip, Wilkinson visited her local doctors who informed her that she was within 24 hours of having her arm amputated.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="285" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265433/3_498x285.jpg" alt="3 (22)"/></p> <p>She recalled how she was given a full arm cast despite only breaking bones in her wrist and due to the intense pain, she was in tears every day.</p> <p>“When they put the cast on I was so out of it because they aren’t big believers in painkillers in Italy, I’ve now discovered. So they manipulated my bones back into position without any pain relief,” Wilkinson said.</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Qld woman faces leg amputation in Thailand as desperate family tries to bring her home

<p>The family of a Queensland woman are desperately trying to raise enough money to bring her home from Thailand, after a horrific scooter accident left her hospitalised and staring down the barrel of potential leg amputation.  </p> <p>Stacey Liddle was celebrating her 30th birthday in Thailand with friend Sinead Markham, when the pair decided to rent scooters, before disaster struck.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F7NewsBrisbane%2Fposts%2F1703684856311026&amp;width=500" width="500" height="731" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></p> <p>“We were riding along in Chalong and I heard beeping and I saw Stacey get dragged underneath the bus and the wheels went straight over the top of her,” Ms Markham told the <em>Courier Mail</em>.</p> <p>“She wasn’t breathing when she first got hit and I thought she was dead and then she started moaning and woke up and we both just started screaming, it was so horrific.”</p> <p>Ms Liddle was taken to hospital suffering severe leg injuries and a punctured lung, where she was operated on without anaesthesia and doctors removed her calf muscle.</p> <p>“(The bus) completely tore her leg apart, her bone were exposed and her calf muscle was lying on the ground,” Ms Markham said.</p> <p>“They pulled her skin around and stitched it up but where they’ve stitched it the skin is going grey and starting to die and it’s all infected.</p> <p>“She’s lost so much blood that she’s had 10 blood transfusions but at one point she was just so white I thought, ‘Oh my god my friend is going to die’”.</p> <p>To make matters worse, Ms Liddle’s friends and family have discovered that the pair weren’t insured to go on the scooter. To avoid amputation in the Thai hospital, Ms Liddle’s friends have to raise enough money to bring her home.</p> <p>“We’re doing everything we can to get a medical flight to get her home to a hospital in Australia and give her the best possible chance… and stop her leg from being amputated and make sure she survives this,” Ms Markham said.</p> <p>“She has ants crawling all over her in the hospital. It’s absolutely disgusting and the beds are rusting and she has to lie in her own sweat and blood.”</p> <p>Ms Liddle’s family has started a fundraising page, you can <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/please-help-stacey-liddle-get-home" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>visit here</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

International Travel

Our Partners