Dad-of-five, 35, forced to have both ‘burning' legs amputated after falling ill on family holiday in Italy
HOLIDAY HELL Dad-of-five, 35, forced to have both 'burning' legs amputated after falling ill on family holiday in Italy
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A DAD-of-five was forced to have both his legs amputated, after they began "burning" and turned black while on holiday.
Alessandro Luciano, 35, was in southern Italy with his wife Iljhama and their five children.
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Alessandro Luciano, 35, was rushed to hospital when black patches appeared on his legs
Credit: Jam Press
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The dad-of-five has had both his legs amputated and several fingers
Credit: Jam Press
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He first fell ill on holiday in Italy and was diagnosed with a meningococcal type B infection
Credit: Jam Press
The electrician came down with a fever on the first day of his summer holidays in August last year.
Alessandro also noticed black spots appearing on his limbs and rushed to a local hospital.
'My legs were burning, and black spots suddenly appeared on my feet and hands,' the dad recalled.
He was diagnosed with a meningococcal type B infection, a serious illness that can lead to meningitis and blood poisoning.
In the UK, babies and children are given the MenB vaccine to protect against the dangerous bacteria.
Alessandro developed a rare and extremely serious complication, purpura fulminans.
The life-threatening condition damages the skin and tissues, causing purple lesions and tissue necrosis.
With his health suddenly and rapidly deteriorating, the electrician was urgently transferred to a hospital in his home city Stuttgart, Germany.
Doctors had to amputate the lower half of both his legs after they turned black.
They also removed four fingers on his right hand, and part of a finger on his left.
Gran 'devastated' after being forced to have both legs AMPUTATED after getting two 'mosquito-sized' bites on leg in Cork
Iljhama, who met Alessandro when they were 14 years old said: 'My husband and I have been in a committed relationship for 21 years and married for almost 15 years.
'We lived happily with our five children.
'And then our nightmare began.
'After many difficult months caring for my mother, we went on vacation to southern Italy.
'But we were not allowed to be happy, our hearts shattered into more than 1,000 pieces when he contracted meningococcus nesseria purpura fulminans.
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Alessandro on holiday
Credit: Jam Press
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Alessandro also developed a rare and extremely serious complication, purpura fulminans
Credit: Jam Press
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Iljhama said the experience had been heartbreaking for the family
Credit: Jam Press
'He survived, and thankfully his nervous system was not damaged.
'But he needed bilateral leg amputation up to the knee, four fingers on the right hand were amputated, the middle finger on the left hand was partially amputated, and the index finger is severely restricted.'
Alessandro had recently renovated the family's fifth-floor apartment.
But the same home became an obstacle, after he returned home from surgery in a wheelchair.
The dad can't manage the five-floor walk up on his own and installing a stair lift in the apartment building is impossible due to building regulations.
Iljhama launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of installing an external lift.
Know the signs of meningitis and septicaemia
Meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord – the meninges.
Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs as meningitis and is life-threatening. It can occur with or without meningitis.
Both meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours, so it is critical to know the symptoms so you can act fast.
Symptoms can appear in any order and not all of them show. For example, the meningitis rash does not always appear.
It can be hard to tell meningitis/septicaemia apart from other common bugs.
The symptoms marked with a * indicate those that are more specific to meningitis/septicaemia and are rarer with common bugs.
Symptoms of both septicaemia and meningitis Fever and/or vomiting
Very sleepy, vacant or difficult to wake
Confused/delirious*
A rash, which can be anywhere on the body*
Additional symptoms of meningitis Severe headache
Seizures
Dislike of bright lights
Stiff neck*
Additional symptoms of septicaemia Breathing fast/breathlessness
Pale or mottled skin
Limb/muscle/joint pain, which may come with stomach pain or diarrhoea *
Cold hands, feet or shivering*
Source: Meningitis Research Foundation
She explained: 'I currently carry him up and down the five floors twice a day using a stair climber – a total weight of over 100kg.
'This not only puts a heavy strain on my health, it also takes away the last vestiges of his independence and dignity.
'A stair lift is not possible under building regulations and modern wheelchairs with tracked wheels are also ruled out due to the narrow stairwell.
'An external elevator is our only hope, but this costs tens of thousands of Euros – and we cannot finance it.
'The fact that he's now completely dependent on me, barely mobile, hurts him deeply, and it tears me apart inside.'
So far, £43,667 (€50,386) of the £121,596 (€140,000) goal has been raised.
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Alessandro with his wife and five children
Credit: Jam Press
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