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Contemplating the future was most difficult when Eva’s husband Håkan was due for an amputation. She only wishes she’d known then how well everything would turn out. A positive attitude to life and advanced orthopaedic technology were key to an active, enriched life for Håkan and the rest of the family.

Text: Eva-Lotta Sigurdh Photo: Eva Axelsson

eing next-of-kin to someone who is forced to have an amputation can be almost as overwhelming as being the amputee. Suddenly, your life is turned upside down and you are expected to be there totally for your partner, while perhaps your children may be upset and need particular care, while family activities have to roll on as normal.

This was the situation facing Eva Axelsson, whose husband Håkan chose to have his left lower leg amputated after an accident.

“His leg got trapped in snow grooming equipment, but he ‘just’ needed surgery to start with,” Eva, who nevertheless recalls with horror the doctor’s indication that an amputation might be necessary.

HOWEVER, A FULL SIX years were to pass before this became relevant. Six years of unsuccessful operations, constant pain and no chance of continuing a previously active life. But, also, six years of getting used to the idea of an amputation. The last straw came when Håkan slipped on ice and fell, around the same time that he found out he had an untreatable eye condition. That was when the realisation dawned that he would never regain an active, pain-free life without doing something drastic – and he finally elected to have the amputation.

“I and our older children had already reconciled ourselves to the idea and it actually came as a relief, but our youngest son was very upset about a body part being removed.”

“We got in touch with other amputees with a good quality of life to let him see it wasn’t the end of the world.”

THE ACTUAL AMPUTATION went well, although the immediate aftermath was tough, Eva recalls. Håkan felt bad about not being able to move like he used to, and she had to take over all responsibility for the family, in parallel with working full time to keep their finances in order.

“I had to be strong for everyone, even though my head was whirring with thoughts about what life would be like.”

But she needn’t have worried. Just over one year on, life was almost back to what it had been before the accident.

“Håkan practised hard with the prosthesis and I pushed on. We realised it was just a matter of getting on with it, thanks to all the modern technology, such as the ‘running leg’ and prostheses that can be attached directly to skis, and our own positive attitude. Your approach is the be-all and end-all. If you don’t look ahead, you can’t move forward.”

Eva reports that, despite this, she had downtimes when life felt tough, such as when their youngest son was so upset before the amputation, and in the immediate aftermath of the operation when the workload was sometimes overwhelming.

“I made sure I was able to get away from time to time and do things with my friends. That was particularly important at the beginning, when things were toughest. We were lucky enough always to have lots of people around us who were willing to lend a hand.”

“If you have younger children, get in touch with existing amputees to help take the drama out of the amputation. We invited our friends to dinner the night before so the children and I could chat without things getting too heavy. It was nice and we felt well prepared. And consider your attitude. Try to think positively and support the affected person. There’s a solution to everything!”

“It’s really good and I no longer regard Håkan as functioning differently. Life is just normal”

Perhaps ‘normal’ is an understatement. Despite impaired eyesight and the loss of a leg, since the amputation the family have gone on foreign holidays, walks and ski trips, and Håkan himself has taken part in the Paralympics, the Gothenburg half-marathon and the Halvvasan skiing race…

“Just imagine if I’d known that when the anxiety hit,” Eva laughs.