A Penhold man whose legs were amputated due to a mysterious infection will not require further surgery.
Francois Trudeau, 51, had both legs amputated below the knee last week, and learned Wednesday that surgery to remove more of his right leg, where the infection started, was no longer needed.
“The surgeon came in and said everything is healing really well. They don’t think he’s going to require more surgery for an above-the-knee amputation,” said Lesley Thomas, a family relative from Beaumont.
RELATED: Central Alberta father loses legs to infection
She said staff at Red Deer Regional Hospital will be watching how his legs heal over the next few weeks, before moving on to plastic surgery to fit Trudeau with prosthetics.
“Hopefully, things are looking up from here and they can get used to their new normal, and get back to life,” Thomas said.
Doctors have not been able to figure out what caused the infection.
Trudeau was fine when he went to sleep July 13, but woke up in the middle of the night with severe pain and feeling sick. He quickly ended up at Red Deer hospital, where he underwent his amputations on July 24.
Thomas started at GoFundMe account — https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-support-of-francois-trudeau — to help out the family.
The account was created Monday to raise $40,000, and as of Wednesday, $13,950 had been donated to help with living and medical expenses.
Trudeau and his wife Susanna Shott, who have called Penhold home for 15 years, have two children, Xavier, 10, and Silas, 7.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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