Heroic Marbella dad of surf star Sarah Almagro gets Andalucia to change care for child amputees

A campaign by Marbella adaptive surfing champion Sarah Almagro’s family has helped bring healthcare arrangements for children facing major amputations across Andalucia.

New Andalucia network brings specialists together

Andalucia has put its new Care Network for Minors with Major Amputation and an Autonomous Committee of Specialists into operation. The system creates common guidance for surgery, rehabilitation and prosthetic care, replacing informal coordination.

Now included in Andalucia law, the framework also provides a permanent commission to oversee the protocol after Ismael, Sarah’s father, went through a living hell watching his daughter contract meningitis and lose her limbs in hospital. Ismael Almagro began pushing for change after his daughter’s treatment proved difficult to coordinate. Sarah underwent four operations, and her family wanted other parents to avoid that uncertainty.

“The priority of this fight, over so many years, has been to prevent another family going through the helplessness and avoidable suffering we lived through,” Ismael said.

Five to seven cases each year

Major amputations among children and teenagers are rare in Andalucia, averaging five to seven cases each year which the family suggests is too many.

A new surgical consultation committee will allow plastic surgeons, trauma specialists and rehabilitation doctors to assess cases together before planned surgery. One key consideration will be shaping the remaining limb with future prosthetic use in mind, reducing further operations.

Each child will also be entered into a regional register, tracking functional results, body symmetry and quality of life. Families will have a case manager to coordinate hospital care, rehabilitation and prosthetic paperwork.

Wider support for young patients

Care will not stop when surgery is completed. Paediatric oncology, infectious diseases, physiotherapy and mental health support can all be involved where needed.

Malignant tumours account for more than half of acquired cases among teenagers, according to information supplied about the new system.

For Ismael, the new network turns a painful family experience into change for others. Sarah has meanwhile continued making headlines through adaptive surfing, most recently winning the 2026 Pantin Classic in Galicia.