The Volunteer Doctor Who Helped Save My Foot

By a grateful BASICS Essex patient, Julie from Southend:

"I knew the instant I hit the floor that something was badly wrong. My left foot was twisted at a strange angle & pain was building fast. By chance—good or bad—I was on a video call with my twin sister, Angie. I asked her to call an ambulance while I tried not to panic.

My right leg had landed on a brass lampstand, leaving a deep gash that looked close to the bone. Angie arrived quickly and pressed a clean tea towel on the wound while I held my left foot, worried about the blood supply.

Any injury is complicated for me. I live with cystic fibrosis, mild heart failure and osteopenia, and my care team are already discussing a lung transplant.

The ambulance crew soon arrived and gave me gas and air while assessing the damage. They suspected my foot was dislocated and broken in two places.

Stronger pain relief and a realignment were needed, so they called for a doctor. I didn’t know it then, but the doctor on his way Chris, was a volunteer with BASICS Essex, an emergency medical charity.

Chris drove from Burnham and reached me in about half an hour. Calm and reassuring, he administered stronger medication and worked with the paramedics to move me outside where there was room to treat me. Living in a chalet bungalow meant the stretcher wouldn’t fit through the lounge.

With extra pain relief on board, Chris realigned my dislocated foot to protect the blood supply and prevent further damage. Thanks to his skill, we avoided serious complications before I even reached hospital.

In A&E, doctors attempted two further realignments but the joint kept slipping. Surgery was the only option. Two days later I underwent an operation under a spinal block—general anaesthetic was too risky given my lung and heart problems. Surgeons fixed metal plates and screws to my left ankle and cleaned and stitched the deep cut in my right leg.

Only afterwards did I learn that Chris was a BASICS Essex volunteer and that the charity receives no government funding. These highly trained doctors give their time freely, responding across the county when the NHS is stretched and patients like me need urgent specialist care.

I am profoundly grateful. Without BASICS Essex I would have endured hours of unnecessary pain and might have faced permanent damage.

It is because Chris arrived when he did, my foot was realigned quickly & I have every chance of walking again after rehabilitation.

To everyone who donates or fundraises for BASICS Essex—thank you. Your support puts doctors like Chris on the road, turning terrifying accidents into stories of expert care, compassion and hope."

Learn how you can support here.