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'Appreciate life': Firefighter returns to duty after accident and amputation
John Johnson returned to active duty with a special prosthetic after 13 surgeries and a partial leg amputation, he said.
Firefighter John Johnson has returned to active duty this summer after undergoing 13 surgeries and a partial leg amputation following a life-changing accident Twenty-two months ago.
Johnson's ordeal began Twenty-two months ago when he broke his tibia and fibula in an off-duty accident; initial surgery to stabilize the fracture seemed straightforward before complications developed weeks later.
One incision turned necrotic and tissue beneath his skin refused to heal despite 10 months of skin grafts and treatments, leading Johnson to undergo 13 total surgeries before deciding to amputate.
During his stay at Lee Memorial Hospital, colleagues rallied around Johnson, filling a parking lot with fire trucks and raising ladders to his window—a gesture that, Johnson said, "still brings tears to my eyes."
Johnson credits his wife and son for helping him through a low period; the experience taught him to "appreciate life, appreciate the little things," he said.