A Fermanagh woman has been “shocked” by the generosity of the road racing community as they continue to raise money to help her buy a prosthetic limb which will cost £18,000.

Jenny Gartland, who is originally from West Meath but currently lives in Ederney with her husband, Irish Road Race Champion Paul Gartland, has been suffering from a series of illnesses since she was seven years old. In February this year, Jenny had to have her lower leg amputated in an emergency operation, which due to her many health conditions, had to be carried out in a private clinic with two surgeons.

Although the surgery was successful, Jenny was faced with a setback in her recovery when she found out that she would not be supplied with a prosthetic limb, which will cost £18,000 for her to purchase herself.

Jenny explained: “I went up to rehab one day and they showed me the leg and I thought, ‘this is amazing, I’m going to be able to walk again.’ Then rehab rang me and told me that the HSE won’t fund me my leg and that I would have to pay for it myself. And that was it, I was sent home.”

She added: “That was at the end of February and I have been left ever since with no physio and no counselling.”

Jenny has been overwhelmed by the support of Road Racing Ireland magazine who have set up a GoFundMe page to help fundraise for her prosthetic limb. As of print, the page has raised over £9,500.

Jenny commented: “It’s unbelievable. It’s a shock, I didn’t actually think it would take off like that. It’s lifechanging.”

Talking in detail about her health conditions Jenny said: “I’ve always had problems since I was seven. I was perfect when I was born but I had a small problem and had to go into hospital which I developed septicaemia from. I ended up having to get a lot of operations and loads of investigations.”

She continued: “I had a hip replacement and a knee replacement. I had to get my ankle and foot fused. When I developed septicaemia, I developed a vascular problem which left me with loads of different problems.”

Jenny was then told that they would never be able to save her foot. She said: “They told me I would develop gangrene and lose my toes. It went to the stage that they told me my gangrene was going to spread and they would have to amputate.”

Jenny revealed that with the help of Road Racing Ireland magazine’s input, she will be attending a consultation today (Thursday November 8) which will bring her closer to getting her prosthetic limb.

A tearful Jenny said: “This fundraising will turn my whole life around. I was dumbstruck, I couldn’t believe it. When I heard, I just sat down and cried. It is amazing.”

She added: “I really can't thank everyone enough for their support. To be able to do the simple things in life without pain and be able to walk again, this will be a dream come true.”

If you would like to help support Jenny’s fundraising, visit the GoFundMe website and search for Jenny Gartland.