A MUM says she has “got her life back” after her daughter made an appeal for vital surgery to save her leg.

Teresa Catto, 70, from Braintree, suffered crippling leg pain after being diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a circulatory problem where bloody supply to the legs is slowly cut off as the arteries constrict.

She had two operations which failed to unblock the diseased arteries, and a third was ruled out as surgeons feared she might lose her leg and have to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

Daughter Tracey Tyler took to social media, and found a Facebook group of patients with the same condition, called ‘The Way to My Heart’.

Tracey said: “Mum could hardly walk and being told she would just have to live with the pain was very tough.

“The group has hundreds of members so I asked if they knew someone who could offer a second opinion.

“It was wonderful to reach out to an online community and that’s how we found Lorenzo Patrone.”

Dr Patrone is an interventional radiology consultant, who performs mini-invasive vascular operations at Northwick Park Hospital in London.

He specialises in reopening arteries in the legs which have become constricted through age and disease.

Dr Patrone carried out the procedure, successfully saving Teresa’s leg.

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He said: “PAD affects thousands of people in the UK and many of these suffer from its most aggressive form, which can lead to amputation.

“In recent years, new materials and techniques allow us to treat patients very effectively in a mini-invasive way and we run workshops for vascular specialists from around the UK and Europe.

“The Way to My Heart Facebook group is a great tool for patients who can meet people living with the same condition and ultimately be referred to the most experienced centres for treatment.”

Teresa said: “I can’t thank Lorenzo enough. I was praying he could help me and when he said he could, I was so relieved.

“The operation took two hours and I was allowed home later the same day.

“I knew it had worked as soon as I stood up. It has given me my life back after four long painful years.”

Asked what she is now looking forward to now she has regained use of her left leg, Teresa said: “Ballroom dancing. I haven’t been able to go for years.”