Vancouver firefighter Christopher Won said he is just feeling lucky to be alive after a devastating diagnosis on his vacation forced the amputation of his lower leg.
Won contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a rare, life-threatening disease, while travelling with his family in Asia.
“On the tail end of the Singapore phase, literally the morning that we were leaving Singapore, I woke up and my foot was a bit sore,” Won told Global News.
“It was difficult to bear weight but, you know, you think you’re getting old and spent a lot of time walking. We’ve been on our feet the entire vacation.”
However, he said by the time they got to the airport and on the plane, the pain was excruciating.
They landed in Hong Kong and Won said he tried to elevate his foot to relieve any pressure but nothing was working.
Won knew he had to go to the hospital.
At first, doctors thought it was compartment syndrome but once they went in to take a look, Won said they knew it was necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease.
On Valentine’s Day, Won had surgery — the first to take a look at the disease and the second to amputate his lower right leg.
“I don’t know that I have fully processed it yet,” Won said about losing part of his leg.
“I’m thankful to have my life. It’s a small sacrifice, leg for a life, with my family for the rest of my life. As far as processing it or even mentally, preparing myself, I think now that it’s done, I don’t think about why…. I don’t think about how things could be different. I just think about what I need to do to get home.”
Won said they still don’t know how he contracted the infection. He has still not been cleared to fly home to Vancouver.
“Sheer randomness, you know,” he said. “I don’t think you can live your life under the shadow of that fear. Like, you do what you do. You wash your hands. You take care of yourself.”
A GoFundMe set up to help the family has now raised more than $100,000.
“I like to keep to myself and to hear and feel the support of hundreds, many of whom I don’t know, you know, the support from so far away,” Won added.
“Just wanting me to get home and wanting (me) to have a good recovery. Again, I don’t know how to process that or I’m still in the midst of figuring out how to absorb that and really understand it because it’s amazing.”
Won said both the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services have reached out in support.
“I’m just working hard to get home.”
Won’s wife, Marie Hui, who many may know for singing the national anthem at Vancouver Canucks and Whitecaps games, has been by her husband’s side every step of the way.
She told Global News she is just doing her best to stay strong.
“We’re both really optimistic about what’s happening,” she said. “We’re seeing an uptick in his health trajectory here on the daily. He’s getting tubes taken out in different areas of his body. So the worst is over. And it was the worst.”
The couple have two children and Hui’s parents have flown in from Vancouver to help care for them.
Hui was the one who had to decide to amputate part of her husband’s leg.
“There was no other choice,” she said.
“It was really either his life or his leg. And I will make that decision a million times over. But it was a tough 24 to 48 hours for me and for us. For him especially. Never in a million years would I have thought or imagined that I would say lines like, ‘Do whatever you can to keep him alive.'”
For now, the family is focusing on the future, their new normal and looking forward to getting home.
“We chose life,” Hui said.
“And we have this second chance at life. And even though you’re missing a limb, life is still so precious and we’ve got two beautiful kids and we can’t wait to travel again.
“We can’t wait to, you know, do all the things that normal people do. And, yeah, get that prosthetic leg and we’ll be back.”