Dad's leg left twice the size of the other a year after canal swim left him with infection
A father-of-one has been left with a life-changing condition after taking a dip in a canal last year.
Sam McAlpine Peyr, from Stroud in Gloucestershire, suffered a severe infection that permanently damaged his leg, and has been twice the size of the other ever since.
The plumber, 32, developed a serious illness after swimming in the Stroudwater Navigation Canal in April 2025.
Just a day after the swim, Sam started to experience symptoms like pain in his groin along with a high temperature.
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He had to come home from work the following day after feeling flu-like symptoms and a worsening infection in his left leg, prompting an urgent hospital visit.
Doctors treated him with antibiotics because the bacteria had likely entered his bloodstream through a tiny crack in his heel.
However, the infection caused irreversible damage to his lymphatic system, which led to his led to lymphoedema, a chronic condition that results in severe swelling due to impaired fluid drainage.
A year on, Sam’s left leg remains twice the size of his right.
His wife Georgia McAlpine Peyr is now attempting to raise £20,000 for specialist surgery.
"I'm hoping we can raise enough awareness so it doesn't happen to anyone else," she said.
"I thought people got really sick, like vomiting and diarrhoea, but I don't know of people who got infections.
"It's not like he went into the hospital saying 'I went for a cold-water swim and this happened' because he didn't put two and two together.
"He went to see a doctor and he said, 'this is permanent, your lymphatic system in your left leg is permanently damaged and your leg will never go back to the size it was'.
"It just got bigger from then really, it looks really painful."
Georgia, who works in marketing, says the money will go towards a private Lymphaticovenous Anastomosis (LVA) surgery, which helps to manage lymphoedema.
"It wasn't a cut, it was a tiny, tiny crack in the back of his heel, he didn't even know he had it beforehand," she added.
"It aches after an extended period of time so sometimes he'll say 'I just need to get my leg up' and then he has to sit with his leg in the air.
"I haven't seen him wear shorts for a year, and he would wear shorts at three degrees in May, that's the kind of guy he is."
A Stroud Valleys Canal Company spokesperson said: "We are saddened to hear about the ill-health of someone who had reportedly swam in the canal.
"In the interests of public safety we would refer anyone who enjoys wild swimming to the rules of the Canal and River Trust, which does not permit unauthorised swimming in its canals.
"As a matter of public safety this should also be followed on all canals including the Stroudwater Navigation.
"Generally, canals are shallow, there are many unseen hazards and water quality is not suitable for swimming.
"In addition, they are operation spaces with moving boats, weirs, sluices and locks making them unsuitable and unsafe for swimming.
"Further information is available on the CRT website at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/support-us/our-campaigns/safety-on-our-waterways/open-water-swimming."
You can donate to Sam's GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sam-after-lifechanging-infection
Anish Vij