Airlie Beach mum Michelle Wardrope loses leg fighting off lethal infection

A North Queensland mum’s life has been forever changed after a small cut from a fall in the driveway turned into a rare and lethal infection, forcing doctors to amputate her leg. See what caused it.

What was only a small cut has turned into a nightmare for Whitsunday woman Michelle Wardrope who has faced major surgery involving the removal of her leg, after her body went through gas gangrene. Picture: Supplied

When Michelle Wardrope fell in her driveway and cut her knee, she brushed off the injury as nothing more than a minor inconvenience requiring stitches.

Instead it was the start of her ongoing nightmare.

Within 12 hours she was placed on life support, and had to make the harrowing decision to sacrifice her leg to save her life.

It began as a normal Friday for the 44-year-old Airlie Beach mum when she walked over to her nine-year-old son Ollie playing in their driveway.

She tripped and fell, cutting her knee - the injury requiring a trip to Proserpine hospital with her partner Ben Brown for stitches.

The pair went home believing everything was fine.

Later she and Mr Brown, 43, would learn she had contracted a rare soil borne infection after the cut, called gas gangrene.

“It somehow got into her system, it creates gas and it eats up the flesh,” Mr Brown explained.

“By the time she went on the helicopter, her leg smelled like death.”

What was only a small cut has turned into a nightmare for Whitsunday woman Michelle Wardrope who has faced major surgery involving the removal of her leg, after her body went through gas gangrene. Picture: Supplied

From then on, it was all a blur for the small family, with Ms Wardrope fighting for her life in a hospital bed, needing various surgeries to stop the infection.

The day after she was taken to Mackay, hospital staff transferred her to Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital to see specialists that could perform a life-changing surgery on her — the complete removal of her leg.

“I was told at numerous times that she wouldn’t make it through the night,” Brown said with a shiver in his voice.

Ms Wardrope’s surgeries resulted in the complete removal of her leg to the hip and she only woke up 13 days after the final surgery.

What was only a small cut has turned into a nightmare for Whitsunday woman Michelle Wardrope who has faced major surgery involving the removal of her leg, after her body went through gas gangrene. Picture: Supplied

A RBWH spokesman said gas gangrene is a very rare but lethal soft tissue infection caused by clostridium bacteria, which rapidly destroys blood cells, blood vessels and muscle tissue.

The hospital is only one of two hospitals in the state that provides hyperbaric oxygen therapy with on-site hyperbaric chamber treatment, which is used in cases like these.

‘I don’t know a stronger person’

Now that she’s awake, Ms Wardrope is putting together what has happened to her.

“I just got off the phone to her then,” Mr Brown shared saying he ultimately had to go back to Airlie Beach to feed their pets.

“She’s eating. She started doing exercises and stuff.

“And everyone’s amazed at how she’s gotten through this. Because of her size and, you know, the actual operation itself is like a two per cent, where they distract the actual bone from the hip.”

He said Ms Wardrope remains positive about the situation, but it has brought back painful memories.

What was only a small cut has turned into a nightmare for Whitsunday woman Michelle Wardrope who has faced major surgery involving the removal of her leg, after her body went through gas gangrene. Picture: Supplied

“Obviously she still has a little bit of a cry here and there about it, but yeah, she’s that little rock I’ve got.

“Honestly, I don’t know a stronger person.”

Mr Brown explained the fear of losing Michelle had brought feelings that had been buried deep within, feelings of a dark time in the couple’s 20s when their had lost three babies hours after they were born.

“They were alive for a few hours each. Eight, four, and I think twelve hours.

“Michelle has said to me that she’s already lost three pieces of her once before.

“And now I see her talking and happy and a hugger and kisser. It’s just an overwhelming feeling.”

Support from the community

While their lives have been forever changed by this incident, the family have been able to count on support from the local community, as they have no family up in the Whitsundays.

A friend of the family had started a GoFundMe page for the family, which had reached target in less than a day after it was started.

What was only a small cut has turned into a nightmare for Whitsunday woman Michelle Wardrope who has faced major surgery involving the removal of her leg, after her body went through gas gangrene. Picture: Supplied

Mr Brown, a long-time local painter said they had always been very involved with the community, and that seeing such support was comforting them in believing that ‘you reap what you sow’.

He said financial support had been paramount in the past few weeks with some of their accounts passwords being locked, and having no private health insurance to rely upon.

“There’s not even a word in the dictionary to tell the community how I feel right now,” Mr Brown said.

“Without them we would have been in a pickle.”

Originally published as Airlie Beach mum Michelle Wardrope loses leg fighting off lethal infection