Michael looks to India to end his elephantitis hell

Pensioner with a grotesquely-swollen leg is so desperate to end his misery he is planning to fly to India for surgery.

Michael Cull, 66, is set to travel 5,000 miles and pay £12,000 to end his elephantitis hell. His leg weighs a massive four stone after becoming hugely enlarged, meaning he hobbles down the street.

Specialists at four state-of-the-art centres in India have agreed to perform the risky operation, which involves compressing the leg before removing tissue and skin.

The development comes amid claims he’s been severely let down by the NHS for allowing his condition to get to this stage.

Michael, of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, said: “It will probably leave my leg like a patchwork quilt and, cosmetically, it will look quite ugly. But at least it will get rid of about two-and-a-half stone to put it in proportion with the other leg.

“I have written to specialists in India who are quite positive. They say they have seen it before and know how to deal with it.”

Michael a retired computer expert who worked with NASA on the Apollo 11 and 12 missions first noticed the strange swelling following a car smash more than a decade ago.

At first, he was told it was nothing to worry about. But it has continued to grow to four times the size of his other leg. The deformity diagnosed as elephantitis last year means he cannot drive and is the target of cruel jibes.

Medical specialists have also told him that the condition, which is caused by a parasite, may have lain dormant for 50 years.

Michael, who grew up in the Amazon before moving to Britain as a 12-year-old, said even simple tasks like walking down the stairs could prove fatal.

“It is getting dangerous now,” he said. “I’ve been told it’s not life-threatening but I can cut myself on my leg and not even know about it. I could fall at any time, which could kill me.”

Earlier this month, surgery to remove excess flesh from his leg was cancelled. He had also been due to have surgery in Hull but, days before he was due to travel, he was told the operation could not go ahead. NHS Scotland have now asked him to go for further tests and consultations to talk about the risks of having surgery.

But Michael is becoming increasingly desperate and is now “seriously considering” private surgery in India.

He said: “I would have thought doctors in the UK would be keen to investigate this as it is so rare.

“But it has got to the stage where everyone is being so negative, I’m going to have to go abroad. I’ve paid into the NHS all my life and think I should have the treatment in the UK.

“But it has been years now, so I may have to pay the £12,000 I have been quoted to have the operation in India.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said it remained “fully committed” to Mr Cull. “Decisions about medical care are a matter for clinicians,” she said.