THE mother of a toddler who had his legs amputated after contracting meningitis has spoken of her shock after being told he needs regular operations to stop him becoming wheelchair bound.

Julie Jenkins, 31, was told by consultants at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, that her son Louie, two, needs operations on his legs to stabilise the bones until he reaches adulthood.

The Colne youngster had both legs amputated from below the knee in 2012 along with all of the fingers in his left hand and the tips of his fingers on the right hand.

Recently Julie, of Chatham Street, had noticed that the bone on his left leg seemed to be growing at an angle, and pushed for something to be done.

After being seen by a specialist in Preston and having x-rays on his legs he was referred to Alder Hey.

At the appointment last week Julie was told that having an operation would be the only option. And as he grows he will need the operation repeating every six months to two years.

Julie said: “We now have two choices of what operation he could have, both of which have benefits.

“His bone is growing quite rapidly and without the operation it would grow into a point which would eventually mean that he would be unable to wear his prosthetic legs and would have to be in a wheelchair.

“As with any surgery there are some risks and I am concerned about the rehabilitation time afterwards. I knew that there was a possibility that this could happen but the outcome has still been a bit of a shock.”

Louie might have to wait until February for the operation as there is a long waiting list.