17 hours ago
Wedding Shoes That Were 'Too Small' Leads to Amputation of Multiple Toes: 'Like a Butcher Had Been in There'
A man with diabetes who wore orthotic footwear ordered special shoes for his wedding, but said the measurements were "too small"
Martin Ralph, 61. said he was told he needed to break the shoes in, but he had to change his footwear on his wedding, finding the shoes too painful
He developed a blister that didn't heal, which led to multiple toes being amputated and now he's unable to walk independentlyWedding shoes that were too tight caused a groom to have multiple toes amputated, leaving him unable to walk independently.
Martin Ralph, 61, was given a new pair of orthotic footwear for his July 27, 2019 wedding — footwear he immediately said was too tight, according to The New York Post. Ralph, who hails from the English town of Chesham, said he had his measurements for the specially ordered shoes taken at a local hospital, but said, 'they were measured too small.'
Ralph, who normally wears orthotic boots, says he wanted to wear shoes for his wedding. 'I told them at the time of the fitting that they were too small. Three times I went back but I was told by the lady who did the measurements I just had to wear them in.'
But wearing the shoes on his wedding day caused significant pain, he says: 'Halfway through the wedding day one foot was getting particularly sore. I had to change into my boots.'
Wearing the shoes also caused lasting damage, he says.
'When I took my sock off, my toe was three times the size it should have been,' he says, sharing that he eventually noticed that the shoes gave him a blister, which gradually got worse.' Ralph struggles with diabetes, which can cause circulation problems, the National Institutes of Health explains. 'Not having enough blood flowing to your legs and feet can make it hard for a sore or an infection to heal.'
The blister didn't heal, and Ralph developed a severe infection that didn't respond to antibiotics; When when doctors cleaned out the dead tissue, they had to amputate as 'it was too far gone … you could see the bone.'
'It was like a butcher had been there, I was in shock,' he said. 'Having to undergo amputation of my toe was horrific, but I was hopeful that was the end of it. Sadly not.'
Ralph has since lost more toes, explaining that now he's unable to walk unaided, and for the first time since he was 17, he's unable to work.
'To see the state of my foot now is terribly upsetting, especially when it could have been prevented so easily. There are so many things I struggle with now. Even just moving around is difficult,' he explained. 'I struggle to do anything. I know nothing will bring my toes back or fix my foot, but I hope that by speaking out I can help ensure it doesn't happen to anyone else.'
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