A popular UK adventurer, who previously lost his leg in a motorbike accident, has now experienced a devastating new setback after a bizarre hospital incident.
Luke Tarrant quit his job as an investment banker in 2023 to embark on a motorbike voyage across the US and Antarctica.
But only eight months into the trip of a lifetime, Luke’s plan came crashing down in South America when he suffered a life-changing motorbike accident in Colombia.
In May 2024, doctors confirmed that in addition to suffering numerous significant injuries, Luke’s left leg was ‘dead’ and needed to be amputated.
But instead of letting the loss of his leg become a setback, Luke has since gone on to inspire his enormous 500,000 Instagram following with his positive attitude and continued zest for adventure.
Luke’s latest goal was to climb one of the highest peaks ever attempted by a person with disabilities – by scaling a mountain more than 5000m high in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia.
But all of that changed this week.
The typically upbeat man took to his social media account to share a sombre and devastating health update.
UK adventurer Luke Tarrant, who previously lost his leg in a motorbike accident, has detailed his latest setback in a series of Instagram posts
‘I’m gutted, traumatised and honestly just fed up,’ he wrote in a caption alongside a video.
Just days out from his ascent, which he’d planned to begin on August 22, Luke said he noticed a fluid build-up around the area where his leg had been amputated.
Under the advice of his usual medical team back at home, it was recommended that Luke attend a hospital in Kyrgyzstan to have the cyst examined and drained by a doctor.
But according to Luke, what should have been a simple fluid drainage procedure became a brutal act that defied explanation.
‘I’m honestly completely traumatised,’ Luke said in the video.
‘Basically, I had an abscess in my leg or a slight inflammation. And I was advised by people in the UK that it was worth getting some fluid taken out of it.’
Luke recounted attending the unnamed hospital and speaking to some of their English speaking medical staff.
He claimed he was at pains to explain that he didn’t want to do ‘anything big’ and just wanted them to use a ‘small needle to get a bit of fluid out’ before he commenced the climb.
A heartbreaking video shared by Luke on August 13 saw him detail how his planned mountain climb in Kyrgyzstan had been derailed. A ‘gutted’ Luke alleged that a routine fluid drainage procedure in hospital was mishandled
Despite the assurance that the medical staff understood his request, Luke alleged that what happened next was ‘traumatising’.
‘The doctor comes out and he’s prodding around, prodding around,’ Luke recalled.
‘He gets a scalpel, he cuts right down my leg in front of me while I’m just there awake in my wheelchair.’
By this point, Luke was demanding to know what was going on – all while the doctor was opening the wound with forceps.
‘I’m like, “Please stop this”. They’re all speaking to each other in Russian. No one’s telling me what’s going on,’ he said.
‘Next thing I know, he’s getting some tweezer things and he’s pulling bits out and he’s like digging around and cutting. I’m in absolute agony. I’m like asking him to stop.
‘I’m now looking down [and] I can see the bone in my leg.’
By this point, Luke recalled that he was ‘in complete agony and shock’.
Luke’s most recent sombre posts following the overseas health ordeal are a far cry from his usual positive, upbeat and inspiring posts
‘I’ve gone pale. I’m trying not to pass out.’
The disability advocate claimed the ordeal lasted 25 minutes and by the end of it there was ‘a massive gaping wound in my leg.’
After the procedure, Luke said he proceeded to inform his stunned doctors back at home.
‘[T]hey were like, “It’s absolutely insane what they’ve done to you. You’re a massive risk of infection”,’ he recalled.
They advised Luke against completing the planned trek or even wearing his prosthetic.
‘I’m no longer climbing the mountain. It was meant to be a world first for people with disability and it’s just turned into this,’ a downcast Luke confirmed.
Luke had planned to complete the trek alongside former professional rugby player Ed Jackson, with the pair raising money for the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains.
Following the medical incident in Kyrgyzstan, Luke urgently returned home to the UK where he was reunited with his mum and underwent further treatment in hospital
The video concluded with Luke saying that he was now urgently flying home to the UK to go to hospital.
A subsequent update post showed pictures of Luke in hospital in his home country – but unfortunately the news wasn’t great.
‘[T]he wound is down to the bone and infected,’ he revealed.
‘They did a procedure to clean it which was agony and may need to operate next week,’ he continued.
‘Worst case if it spreads to the bone, will need to have my knee chopped off… best case is weeks off my prosthetic in the wheelchair.
‘They said what the guy did to me in Kyrgyzstan medically is insane,’ he wrote, before concluding with a thank you message for all the ‘support’ from his followers.
The subdued video and update posts were a marked change to Luke’s normally upbeat and positive attitude.
Accordingly, his fan base was quick to rally around him, offering not only thousands of likes on his Instagram posts, but also inspiring messages of support, encouragement, and resilience.
The accident occurred while Luke had embarked on the trip of a lifetime, motorcycling from the US to Antarctica
Luke lost his leg in 2024 following a motorbike accident in Colombia
‘Luke. This is part of your journey. It’s not the one you asked for, but it’s the one you got,’ read the start of a lengthy message.
‘A year from now you’ll be on the top of that mountain despite all circumstances and you’ll discover that it was never about the mountain. YOU are the mountain. You got this. You’ll see,’ the message concluded.
‘Yours was never going to be a straightforward comeback story,’ commented another person. ‘But you eat setbacks for breakfast and there’ll be bigger adventurers and more world firsts waiting.’
‘Your sad face honestly breaks my heart, Luke! I’m SO sorry you’re going through this nightmare,’ read the start of another longer reply.
‘Time to focus on your recovery, trying to be as positive as you can. You did it once, you can do it again,’ they added.
‘You’re our mentality monster pal, life throws you speed bumps so you can show us how it’s done,’ explained another inspirational response.
‘It’s a hefty burden you carry, especially with only one leg, but you’re doing a better job than any of us could have imagined despite all the odds. That’s why we all find you so inspiring,’ the reply continued.
‘This is the real work, disappointment and readjustment is much harder to cope with than any mountain. You got this.’
