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Claire, before falling victim to the bug |
Can I swim? asks artist who lost arm
to flesh-eating bug
Cyclist will tackle mountain race to raise cash for sister
who’s lucky to be alive
AN artist is determined to fulfil her dream of studying in Barcelona despite having a shoulder and arm amputated in a life-saving operation.
Claire Warrick, who lives in Tufnell Park Road, Holloway, was due to go to Spain after Christmas but her world has been turned upside down following a six-week ordeal in hospital intensive care.
The 30-year-old was referred by her GP to Whittington Hospital in Archway, where doctors spotted an abscess in her throat that released a rare flesh-eating bug.
Specialists from across London battled necrotizing fasciitis – a tissue infection that kills one in three of its victims – in 18 operations.
After six weeks in intensive care, Ms Warrick had to have her arm and shoulder amputated. This week she was in the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead undergoing reconstructive surgery.
Now her brother, Duncan, 31, has pledged to ride one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world to raise crucial funds for his younger sister’s rehabilitation.
He said: “I was told survival was a limited possibility. The bug was so strong nothing was working. Her arm became completely overrun by the bug.
“They said her heart would have stopped if they had operated on her arm in theatre. Basically, she was just ridiculously lucky to have survived.”
He added: “She had been put asleep for two- and-a-half weeks and when she woke up doctors explained to her what had happened. She just said: ‘Okay, so I was going to die. Will I still be able to swim?’
“The Whittington has been absolutely amazing throughout this. The doctors were coming in on their days off to help.
“We had faith in them throughout the whole time.”
Ms Warrick, an Australian national who moved to Holloway five years ago, was moved to the Royal Free Hospital for plastic surgery. Previously right-handed, she is already teaching herself to paint and draw with her left hand and her family hope to have her back home for Christmas.
Her brother said: “Claire was a freelance graphic designer and had become established at Channel 4 and on the Guardian. But in her heart of hearts she was an artist and a painter.
“She was fed up with the commercial side of her job and wanted to do something more expressive. She had enrolled on a course to study fine art in Barcelona that was starting in January.”
He added: “Claire has been astonishing since she woke up. She is bubbly and so keen to move forward. Her goal now is to get to Barcelona and I’ve got no doubt she will do it.”
Mr Warrick and his fiancée’s brother, Tom Neal, have entered the Transalp Challenge to help raise funds for Claire’s rehabilitation. The organisers have waived the £2,000 fee for the pair.
Mr Warrick said: “It’s the toughest mountain bike race in the world. People have said they want to give money for Claire. But we wanted to find something that was a really tough test.
“It’s eight days long and about 400 miles on tough terrain. There’s a vertical climb to 65,000ft. We’ll be training for the next six months for it.”
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