A MOTHER undergoing a lower limb amputation after spending her life in pain has helped to raise more than £2,600 for charity.

Sarah Smith, from Watchet, said she is looking forward to making room for a new leg and experiencing new things in her life.

Sarah was born with a congenital lower limb growth disorder and underwent her first operation at just one years old.

Forty years on and more than 20 operations later, Sarah decided to have her lower limb amputated, but decided she wanted to do something for charity first.

She will be donating the money raised to the Conquest Centre at Norton Fitzwarren and to Above and Beyond, a Bristol charity which raises funds to all nine of Bristol’s central hospitals.

She said: “I’ve spent my life in some sort of pain and don’t know any different.

“I’ve had more than 20 operations on my ankle throughout my life and after my last one in May 2015, the pain has become too much.

“The operation went well but if you have somewhere which is continually being operated on it will get too much eventually.

“The Conquest Centre was broken into just before Christmas and had tools and machinery bought with charity funds stolen.

“Hearing this made me determined to help them prior to my operation because what happened to them was just rotten.

“I wanted to try and make a difference locally and to a small place where that money would mean the world to them.”

On Sunday, surrounded my family, friends and supporters, Sarah walked five miles round Vivary Park in Taunton using the iwalk hands free crutch and has managed to raise more than £2,600 for the charity.

The mum-of-one added: “I am really overwhelmed and grateful to everyone who has donated and who has supported me.

“I feel lucky that I can even have the amputation and so many people go through life experiencing pain throughout their bodies and can’t do anything about it, it really puts this into perspective.

“Amputation is not my focus, my focus is my independence, my integrity and my love of life – a determination and positive outlook I adopted from a very early age.”

She added that she was looking forward to taking on new challenges in the months and years ahead.

She said: “I’m excited about the rest of my life and experiencing things I have never experienced before.

“I’m making room for a new leg and new challenges.”

  • If you would like to donate to help Sarah reach her £3,000 target visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/ fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=sharemyshoes.

The fundraising page will be up and running until February 24.

You can also read more about Sarah and her decision by visiting her blog at bkasharemyshoes.wordpress.com/.