This is my story, everyone has one and each story is amazing to me.

March 17, 2004, my favorite holiday, St. Patrick's Day, and in Savannah, GA it is the biggest day of the year.  Parade started in 1826, and currently the 2nd Largest in the US, 2nd only to NY.  10-12,000 in the parade, and up to 750,00 spectators (in a town of 150,000).  That year I was the parade liason with the police department.  As a civilian, I was the first non police officer to get the call to go to corner of Bull St & State and reroute the parade since a vehicle in the parade had driven through the crowd and there was possible 2 fatalities.  I ran about 2 block to my golf cart and drove about 1/2 mile to the accident, so quick I even beat the police.  I accessed the sitatution, determined that No fatalities, just very serious injuries.  We proceeded to reroute the parade and I notified the Adjutant of the situation.  All this time, I had substained a running injury and did not realize it at the time.  Later that day, my foot tingled, but nothing serious, that was Wednesday.  I went to work (Insurance Agency Owner) on Thursday and Friday.  By Saturday, my left foot felt swollen, but went a way.  A blood clot had formed, when I tore the calf muscle and finally released and stopped in my foot and by Sunday Morning, I had a huge foot, with toes that had turn every color of the rainbow.  I went immediately to the hospital just a mile away from my house.  When they examized me and ran an artitary gram, I had little of no pluse in my foot.  No immediate danager that day, but Vasular Surgeon determined to remove my leg below the knee to save the leg.  As I was being prepped in the OR, the surgeon, asked if I wanted to let him try to just remove the toes?

I had a very hard time controlling my emotions at that point, after being prepared to loose part of my leg.  I had them cancel the surgery, return to my room and be with wife and pray for some answers.  After further discussion with the surgeon, We decided to go ahead with the BK surgery.  Everything went well, but I don't remember, since I was 59 years old at the time and never been in the hospital other than some small day surgery.  They gave me MORPHINE, for pain and I halluicanted for 3 days and broke straps and fell out of the bed 3 times and crawled down the hospital hall dragging IV's etc.  Stump became infected and resulting in a 2nd operation to remove my leg ABK.  21 days in the hospital, I left in a wheelchair, but not depressed and have never been depressed.  3 months later, I walked again with my new C-Leg.  I had a 1" revision surgery in 2007, to remove a callus that would not heal.  Other than some common problems due to use of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, etc with my hands, resulted in me having Carpal Tunnel Surgery in march and April of 2008.

So life goes on, and Amputation is only an inconvience.  I could have died on the spot, if the blood clot had not gotten hung up in my toes (so to speak).

I was happy to be invited to the group and look forward to <4 experience.  If anyone every need an help from me.  Answer about insurance or Taxes, that is kind of my experience for the past 40years.

I am happily married to Joanne for over 20 years.  I was born a "Tar Heel" in Charlotte, NC, attended UNC, Air Force Tech Sgt, Lived in Dallas, Tx, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, Ga and been in Savannah, GA since 1975.  My wife is a 35 year employee of AIG in Savannah and she has a web site and paints Pet portraits www.petportraitsbyjo.com

We share our home with a 10 year old pomerain named Rambo and a 3 year old Sheltie named Laddie.