Scooterist loses leg after Covid vaccination | HUMAN INTEREST

Millions and millions of people have put their trust into what is essentially a rushed through (but much needed) vaccine to help contain a worldwide pandemic of epic proportions.

For most people they’ll experience no side effects other than a sore arm. For a VERY SMALL percentage (there are currently 220 cases of VITT – Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia in the UK) things can be a lot more serious though.

Meet 57-year-old Scottish Scooterist, Alex Mitchell. Working as a scaffolder meant Alex was fit and well up until he received his first COVID-19 vaccination on the 20th of March 2021. Soon after, things took a massive turn for the worse he collapsed at home and Alex was forced to have his left leg amputated to save his life. This story isn’t to alarm people, or stop anybody from choosing to have the vaccination or boosters but it’s a story that needs telling and Alex wants to try and find others in a similar situation to himself. If you’ve been affected you can get in touch with him on his Facebook profile.

Here’s a question and answer with Alex…

Words: Iggy
General photos: Alex Mitchell
Porttrait shots courtesy of Andrew Cawley

Name: Alex (Alexander) Mitchell
Age: 57
Hometown: Glasgow
Occupation: Scaffolder
Married? Yes to Michelle
Children? Two daughters from my first marriage Jennifer (24) Sophie (20)

Tell us a bit about your scootering involvement?
I got into The Jam in 1977 and that was it for me. I became a Mod. I dallied a wee bit in the scooter scene when I was 16-17. My dress style is still the same, 3-piece suit and the trimmings. I am now in the Glasgow Eastend Scooter Club and over the years I have had one or two scooters ok… maybe a few more. I still attend rallies regularly.

What was the last scooter event you went to? The last rally I attended was Millport Scooter Rally before lockdown and the pandemic. I was in a band called the M65’s and we headlined the Saturday night. What a buzz, headlining my favourite rally. Something I will never forget.

Current scooter/scooters owned? I’ve just recently sold my MK1 PX (lead pic on article). The scooter I wanted when I was 16. I had it for over seven years. But due to what happened to me I initially thought my scootering days had come to an end, but the week after that I bought an original 1974 Vespa GTR. I’ve had to make a few changes/adaptions to make sure it’s reliable and easier for me. I’ve replaced the engine to a PX and updated the wiring loom to incorporate an electric start. It’s being fully restored and is being rebuilt as we speak.

Leading up to the vaccination were you in good health? I have always been a healthy person and as a scaffolder I am in good shape. No underlying health issues.

Was it your first or second vaccination that caused the problem? It was the first vaccination I received.

Which vaccine was it? It was the Oxford Astrazeneca.

What date was the jab? I received the vaccination on the 20th of March.

Describe what made you think something wasn’t quite right? I didn’t know that there was anything wrong. I thought I had pulled my calf muscles. Scaffolders regularly pull muscles.

How long after the jab did this start? It all began in the 1st of April with what I thought was the pulled muscles (the irony).

What happened next? I struggled over the next few days and collapsed at home on Sunday the 4th of April.

How quickly did you realise you were going to lose a limb? I was informed in the early hours of the 5th April that my left leg was in danger.

Is it an above or below the knee amputation? The medical team informed me that it would need to be amputated and that it would most likely be an above the knee. We gave it a week to see if there was any way it could be a below the knee but unfortunately it was not to be.

Did you make the connection between the jab and the problem or was it the medical staff who joined up the dots? It was a joint effort from the vascular team and the haematology team that joined the dots very quickly.

You seemed quite upbeat at the time, how did you cope initially? I stated to the vascular surgeon who chatted to me at length before my amputation (Mr Philippe Ghibu. Take a bow sir) that I am already defined as a person and that this will have to adapt to me and not the other way round. I’m an upbeat positive person normally. I always have been and don’t see any good reason to change myself.

Describe what a difference this has made to your lifestyle/work/hobbies? Nothing in my life is normal anymore but sometimes that is not a bad thing and I am still recovering and it’s still early days yet.

Have the NHS admitted any liability/responsibility? I can’t really discuss much about liability/responsibility at present but what I can say is that the care I received and continue to do so from all the medical teams and staff has been incredible.

We’ve all heard about instances of blood clots from the vaccinations but can you tell us a bit more about exactly what this condition is? VITT is short for Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia. In my best attempt at layman’s terms it means that a vaccine has caused multiple blood clots and low platelets.

We know that what happened to you is a very rare occurrence and the risk of not being vaccinated far outweighs the chances of getting a Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombosis. What’s your advice to people with regards to vaccines? My advice is that yes vaccines do work and there will be rare reactions like mine but do your research and decide what is the best one for you, or not. I will support you either way.

Could this type of thrombosis have happened naturally without the jab due to your genetic makeup or does it need to be triggered? No this could only have happened from the Jab.

How do you stand (no pun intended) legally, will you be offered any compensation or on-going help for this life changing event? There is really no pathway to follow for when it goes wrong. The only option for people like me is an outdated vaccine damage payment scheme but I am being faffed off by them in gobbledegook.

It’s a good few months now since it happened, how are you adapting to life? I’d say how’s life adapting to me?

Have you started to learn to walk again yet? Yes, I now have a prosthetic leg and I am in rehabilitation but it is one step forward and two back… sometimes not easy with one leg but I will keep on keeping on.

I’m sure there are plenty of dark times and probably anger but on a positive note what goals or ambitions have you set yourself for the future? I have a list of ambitions I have set myself to achieve (that my family knows about) but I will happily share a few.

1. To walk again unaided.
2 To learn to Northern Soul dance again if possible. Not that I was any good with two legs according to most of my mates!
3. To ride a scooter and get back to rallies.

If SLUK readers could help in any way what could they do? I tried to do the right thing for the right reasons but it went wrong through no fault of mine. All I would ask is that they ask the UK government to do the right thing too.

Symptoms to look out for

• New onset of severe headache, which is getting worse and does not respond to simple painkillers

• An unusual headache which seems worse when lying down or bending over, or may be accompanied by blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, difficulty with speech, weakness, drowsiness or seizures

• New unexplained pinprick bruising or bleeding

• Shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain

Find out more

If you want to find out more about VITT you can visit the NICE – (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) website. They published ‘COVID-19 rapid guideline: Vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT)’ on July 29th 2021. Their website contains some useful information for anybody who thinks they may have suffered from this condition.

NICE are an independent body sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. They provide national guidance to help improve outcomes for people using the NHS and public social care services.