By Safira Ali

Last updated at 12:07, Thursday, 06 March 2008

COPELAND council leader Elaine Woodburn has learnt to walk again after surgery to amputate her right leg. And Cllr Woodburn is doing so well, she returned to work this week and feels like she’s never been away.

Elaine Woodburn: ‘At times I feel frustrated’

And Cllr Woodburn is doing so well, she returned to work this week and feels like she’s never been away.

“I am not ready for a marathon yet,” she said yesterday.

“It is not one of those things where you have an operation and months later you are up and about.

“But I am doing okay and at times I feel frustrated because I want to do more.”

Ms Woodburn, who has suffered from a serious bone infection, had the major operation at the West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, in November.

She suffered from a chronic infection of the bone and bone marrow for 20 years which led to osteomyelitis. She thought she would need two operations on her leg but said it healed “brilliantly” after just one and she is now adapting to the prosthetic limb. “I have got to accept I will always need a wheelchair when I am finding it difficult,” she said. “It is a big change in my life and lifestyle.

“I used to go to places on a wing and a prayer. I can’t do that now. But I have got an adapted car. It is automatic with left foot drive pedals in.”

She admits to “tears and tantrums” at times but is determined to work towards her next goal of being crutch-free by May.

“It is surprising how quickly the brain can adapt,” Ms Woodburn added. “If it is not your primary leg you think you will never get used to it. It is surprising how much you have to change.I had to learn to walk again.”

Ms Woodburn will be working from the Copeland council offices on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays she attends physio and on Thursdays and Fridays she is working from home.

She added: “It is good because I can do what I want to do at my own pace. The nature of the council is it is full-on work.

“You need to be contactable 24 hours a day. Sometimes I feel like I haven’t been away. I have been emailing all the way through.

“In January I had briefings with members. It is the type of job where you can’t have no involvement for three months. It is tiring. I am on crutches at the moment. But it is good to be back.”

Ms Woodburn set up a webcam at home so she was able to stay involved in council business when she left hospital. She said: “I have a system set up that I can contact the council and chief executive and they can talk to me through that.”

She said she was grateful to the hospital for their help. She said: “I am a big supporter of the hospital service. I have used every service possible. The help and support they gave was second to none.”

Her three deputies Allan Holliday, George Clements and Cath Geil will continue to share some of her duties while she eases herself back into work over the next month. She said she will also continue her work with local organisations including Cumbria Vision, Cumbria Strategic Partnership, the local strategic partnership and Cumbria Community Foundation.

SAli@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:15, Thursday, 06 March 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk