David Pither left the Royal Marines in 1987 and pursued a 26-year career in the Avon and Somerset Police. During
the latter part of his time in the police he started to suffer from several serious medical problems, including Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in his left leg.

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David left the force in 2016 and moved
to Portugal, where he had two privately
funded procedures on his leg. This
cost circa £10K. Unfortunately, again
these operations were unsuccessful
and in 2019, he had a below-the knee
amputation of his left leg.

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In February of that year, he saw a
consultant orthopaedic surgeon where
a request was placed for a prosthetic
that could be used for running and
cycling. In the 19 months that followed,
nothing was heard, and all enquiries proved negative, and he remained wheelchair bound. In 2020, RMA – The Royal Marines Charity learned of his problems and a Royal British Legion caseworker was tasked. Last year, David was given a prosthetic which was at best not fit for purpose and he sought further private medical care.

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It transpired that the limb was not
the one the consultant ordered but
because of financial constraints,
it was the best the health service
could provide. Again, the Charity got
involved and an approach to BLESMA
was made. From here on in, the
future started to look brighter. After
consultation with BLESMA, David was
tasked to get quotes for a privately
made prosthetic which was done along
with several physiotherapy sessions.

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It was agreed that BLESMA and RMA
– The Royal Marines Charity would
finance the new prosthetic. David
runs a dog rescue centre in Portugal,
assisting 25 dogs at any one time.

 

The newly funded prosthetic allowed
David to reconnect with the dogs.
“Sky joined us in December 2020.
He had been on a chain for much
of his short life and was attacked
by another dog. He was left with
a compound fracture for two days
before medical treatment was
sought. Despite two surgeries to
repair the damage, infection had
already set in, and amputation was
the only option. I like to think that
we have been great support for
each other over the last year.”
This prosthesis has changed my
life. It has helped me regain a
quality of life and allow me to
resume some normal activities.

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