A YOUNG woman who had to resort to crowdfunding to pay for a leg amputation has spoken of her joy after undergoing the operation.

NHS doctors had refused to carry out the procedure as it did not meet the guidelines for dealing with the rare condition Hope Gordon suffered from – complex regional pain syndrome.

However, after raising £10,000 through donations from strangers, the 21-year-old had her left leg removed by surgery in a private operation last week.

Ms Gordon said: “I have absolutely no regrets. I have lived with this pain since I was 12 years old and it has gone now. I feel as if I’ve been given a new life. There is not a single bit of that leg that I’m going to miss.”

Ms Gordon, from Rogart, in Sutherland, decided to act herself after doctors insisted her condition could be managed through pain relief and physiotherapy.

She said: “I was living with a leg that felt as if it had been permanently wrapped in barbed wire and set on fire. I know some people will judge me and think I’ve made a big mistake.

“But unless someone has lived with that kind of pain, it’s difficult to understand how it affects every aspect of your life.”

Undeterred by opposition from her NHS doctors, she set about finding a surgeon who would perform the operation, and then launched a crowdfunding bid to fund the cost of going private.