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Claire pictured before falling victim to the virulent bug |
Artist’s battle with flesh-eating bug inspires family into action
Fundraising kicks in after six-week ordeal that saw an abscess lead to amputation
AN artist has had to put her dream of studying in Barcelona on hold after her shoulder and arm were amputated in a life-saving operation.
Claire Warrick, who lives in Tufnell Park Road, was set to go to Spain after Christmas but her world has been turned upside down after a six-week ordeal in intensive care.
The 30-year-old, suffering from tonsilitis, was referred by her GP to the Whittington Hospital, where doctors spotted an abscess in her throat that burst into her shoulder, releasing a rare flesh-eating bug.
Specialists from across London battled the necrotizing fasciitis – a tissue infection that kills one in three of its victims – in 18 operations. After six weeks in intensive care, they were forced to amputate the entire arm and shoulder. This week she was in the Royal Free Hospital undergoing reconstructive surgery.
Now her brother, Duncan Warrick, 31, has pledged to ride one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world to raise crucial funds for his younger sister’s rehabilitation.
He said: “I was told survival was a limited possibility. The bug was so strong nothing was working. Her arm became completely overrun by the bug and they said her heart would have stopped if they had operated further on her arm. They had to amputate it. Basically, she was just ridiculously lucky to have survived.”
He added: “She had been put asleep for two and a half weeks and when she woke up to doctors explained to her what had happened. She just said: ‘Okay, so I was going to die – will I still be able to swim?’
“The Whittington has been absolutely amazing throughout this. The doctors were coming in on their days off to help. We had faith in them throughout the whole time.”
Ms Warrick, an Australian national who moved to Tufnell Park five years ago, was moved into the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, for plastic surgery. Previously right-handed, she is already teaching herself to paint and draw with her left hand and her family hope to have her back home for Christmas.
Her brother said: “Claire was a freelance graphic designer and had become established at Channel 4 and on the Guardian. But in her heart of hearts she was an artist and a painter.
“She was fed up with the commercial side of her job and wanted to do something more expressive. She had enrolled on a course to study fine art in Barcelona that was starting in January.”
He added: “Claire has been astonishing since she woke up. She is bubbly and so keen to move forward. Her goal now is to get to Barcelona and I’ve got no doubt she will do it.”
Mr Warrick and his fiancée’s brother, Tom Neal, have entered into the Transalp Challenge to help raise funds for Claire’s rehabilitation. The organisers have waived the £2,000 fee for the pair.
Mr Warrick said: “It’s the toughest mountain bike race in the world. People have said they want to give money for Claire. But we wanted to find something that was a really tough test. It’s eight days long and about 400 miles on tough terrain. There’s vertical climb to 65,000ft. We’ll be training for next six months for it.”
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