On a cool morning in November of 1992, the last day of deer hunting in Maine, my life as I new it came to an end.  I was a senior in high school and out with a couple of buddies trying our luck at shooting the infamous white tailed deer.  The day did not go as planned.  We had just driven to a new location to look for deer and were starting to walk down an old dirt road when one of my friends gun went off as he was loading it.  I was on the other end of the barrel and got shot in the left thigh.  The events following this were not scripted and almost seemed surreal.  Three high school seniors flying down dirt roads in search of someone to help there friend who was bleeding to death in the back seat of their small compact car.  The car that was being driven was not meant to handle the terrain that was underneath it.  The car’s oil pan was ruptured and broke down a few feet behind a pickup truck that was parked on the side of the road.  Three unsuspecting hunters coming out from their morning hunt were greeted by three desperate kids that needed help.  From that point on things were a blur.

After a week in the hospital and multiple failed attempts to get proper blood flow to the lower half of my leg, I subsequently had my left leg below my knee amputated.  The doctors reassured me, prior to my amputation, that they would do their best to save my knee.  The doctor saved my knee but amputated my leg guillotine style.  The distill end of my leg was a mess and made for difficult prosthetic fittings and chronic pain and discomfort.  For ten years I suffered from pain and discomfort.  My leg dictated what I did or didn’t do.  

I received an invitation to attend a Patient Evaluation Clinic where I was evaluated by Kevin Carrol, VP of Prosthetics for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.  Kevin has worked with me for about ten years and knew my background and how difficult my leg was to fit.  He took me aside and asked me what I thought about having surgery to relieve my problems.  I knew that at some point in time I would have to have surgery again but I didn’t want to be set back.  I told him that I valued his opinion and would entertain his suggestion.  He went on to describe the Ertl procedure and how it has made a positive impact on many lives and that he thought it would improve my life tremendously.  I took his advice and flew to California in November of 2004.

My life since the Ertl procedure has been nothing short of miraculous.   I stay on my leg all day.  I have no pain or discomfort.  I am able to hike through the woods at a pace that most ”normal“ people wouldn’t be able to do.  I am the proud father of two sets of twins, ages 4 and 11.  I think the most important result from the Ertl procedure is the fact I no longer tell my kids that I can’t do something.  I do everything!!  Two months ago I ran for the first time in 13 years!!! 

Thank you Dr. Ertl and Kevin Carrol!!!  You have both changed me and my family’s life in ways that I never thought was imaginable.  

Chad