Derby Amputee Social Club
Amputee and Family Social Group

Club Night by Derby Telegraph

'Shocking' truth that binds group's members together in friendship

Members of Derby Amputee Club meet every month, usually at the Guinness Trust Community Room, Sidney Street , Derby .

By kliptrot@derbytelegraph.co.uk

RUTH Parker's leg stood in the middle of the shoe shop while she and the sales assistant sat a few feet away looking at it with a critical eye. The 61-year-old had no qualms about taking off her artificial limb in order to get the right pair of shoes. The heel of her new shoe needed to be at a very specific height to keep the leg at right angles with the floor, and Ruth knew that the best way to check the fit was to sit back at a distance and look at it. And, while the sales assistant was hesitant at first, she soon found Ruth's blase attitude infectious. Ruth, of Alvaston, said: "I just took my leg off in the shop, there was no other way. "The sales assistant soon got the idea and stopped offering me five-inch spike heels. "People are fascinated by my leg. "We had builders in recently to replace our back door and I needed to make sure I could get in and out of the new door using my wheelchair. "But I don't normally wear my leg in the chair and it was making it heavier, so I said to the builder 'I'll just take my leg off'. "He said 'what?!' But then he looked at it and asked lots of questions."

It was this relaxed mood which dominated the monthly meeting of Derby Amputee Club. Sat cosily around a table at Derby Engineer's Club with drinks in their hands, the members recalled the many occasions they had shocked members of the public with their prosthetic limbs.

Cedric Norman, whose wife Caroline has had a leg amputation, said it was easy to forget how unusual people found it. The 59-year-old, of Litton Close, Belper, said: "Caroline doesn't wear her leg to fly because it's uncomfortable, so we tried to check it in as special luggage. "The man at the desk didn't understand and thought it was a tennis racket, which he insisted could go as normal luggage. "So I unzipped the bag, got the leg out and held it up in the air. What I forgot was that there were 300 people behind me. I don't think anyone fainted, but there was a lot of laughter."

And Jill Albiston had to take her leg off while going through airport security. The 68-year-old, of North Parade, Derby , said: "My leg set the alarm off and suddenly three people were upon me. They said 'you better come with us' and tried to take me away into a little cubicle but I saw a chair and asked if I could sit there instead. "I thought they just wanted to look at my leg but they asked me to take it off so I sat right there and did it. "Then they solemnly carried it to the X-ray machine and put it through before bringing it back to me."

The group are insistent that they meet to have fun and not to spend time reflecting on the distressing illnesses and injuries which have led to their amputations. But the wheelchairs and walking sticks serve as a reminder of the very serious side of their situation.

For Roy Sherrod, his amputation followed five decades of problems with his leg. The 81-year-old, of Madison Avenue, Chaddesden, was on a motorbike near Skegness 54 years ago when he was hit by a bus. The accident shattered his leg and caused bone disease, which very gradually started to spread through his body. Eventually, three years ago, he had it amputated in order to get rid of the disease after doctors told him they could not give him a knee operation while he still had the illness. Wife Mary, 78, said Roy had been upset by the loss of his leg. She said: "It was all 'I can't do this' and 'I won't be able to do that', and that's where the emotion came into it."

And for group member Sylvia Goodall, her amputation came after she fell over and her leg would not heal. The 72-year-old, of Stenson Fields, said: "After the operation I had such a lot of pain it was just unbelievable. "You don't think of all the things you won't be able to do. My family live in the northeast and I can't go and visit them because I can't get up and down stairs and they all have bathrooms and bedrooms upstairs."

But the limitations of having an amputation are all the more reason for people to join the group once a month for drinks and a chat, the members say.

They are there to offer each other emotional support and, most importantly, to keep one another positive.

Jill said: "We don't spend a lot of time worrying about our legs."