My name is Lindsey. My husband, Will, is a Veteran. He served in the United States Army from 2001 through 2005. He was in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was deployed to Baghdad for 16 months. During his time in service, he suffered an injury to his right foot that was unfortunately misdiagnosed and treated as a sprain, but he found out several years later that he had actually broken a bone. Fast forward 20 years, he started having issues with that same ankle. After seeing a podiatrist, it was confirmed that he had unknowingly been walking around with a broken bone that had caused him to have severe arthritis, and his foot had become deformed, causing his ankle to bulge out, resulting in constant pain.
In November of 2024, he developed an abscess and was hospitalized, pumped full of antibiotics, and sent home. On April 14, 2025, he went to the emergency room because the pain had become unbearable. He was admitted, and on the 15th, he spoke to the doctors and was informed that the infection had returned, but this time it was in his bones. He was given two options. He could go back on IV antibiotics for several weeks to try and clear up the infection but still leave him with a completely useless foot. Or, he could let them amputate the foot from his knee down and eventually be able to walk again with the use of a prosthetic. In his case, antibiotics would be like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. After a long emotional discussion, it was decided. Take the leg and hopefully get his life back. So, on April 16th, the surgeon performed a below-the-knee amputation.
His employer has been very understanding. However, he hadn’t and still hasn’t been approved for short-term disability, meaning he hasn’t received a paycheck since his surgery on the 16th of April. His insurance was deducted from his pay, so when BCBST didn’t get their payment, they immediately canceled his insurance. Without insurance, there is no way we can afford his $15k prosthetic. We have filled out applications for assistance but have yet to hear back from any of them. He desperately wants to go back to work, and the only way for him to do that is with the prosthetic.
He is a wonderful and selfless man who loves spending his time with family and friends, and it is very hard watching him as he is beginning to get depressed and discouraged because he wants to be able to do all the simple things that most of us take for granted.
I am doing this for my husband. He deserves to be able to walk again. It breaks my heart that my income cannot financially provide him with what he needs. But if you met Will today, he’d smile, cut up with you, and jokingly tell you that he lost his foot fighting a bear! He is a loving, caring, understanding man with a heart of gold.
Please help me make it possible for him to walk again!
