Leg amputated, he’s one happy guy
Chris Garner, 38, lived in extreme pain for four years and wanted his leg off
Chris Garner had part of his leg amputated a week ago. And he couldn’t be happier.
“I got the opportunity to hit a reset button on my life,” he says, sitting on a sofa in his Niagara Falls home with his stump propped up on a pillow.
Part of his left leg below the knee was removed last Wednesday at Mount Sinai Hospital and he came home on Sunday. He was so exhilarated, he walked to the front door and up several steps, balancing on crutches.
“It’s hard to be in pain for four years,” says the father of three. “And then instantly, it was gone.”
Chris has had recurring noncancerous bone tumours and surgeries to remove them. During one operation, the top part of his fibia — the smaller bone in his left leg — shattered. Whenever he stood up, the bigger tibia bone had to support his full weight. He was left with pain so extreme he was unable to work, or even kick a soccer ball around with his son. No safe amount of pain medication would knock it down below a seven out of 10.
And so, he wanted his leg off. He had his heart set on an innovative procedure called osseointegration. Simply put, it involves an amputation, followed by a titanium rod implanted into bone, then connected directly to a prosthetic limb. Offered in Australia, it was not covered by OHIP so a crowd sourcing campaign was launched.
The Standard profiled Chris in January when he was looking for help.
In the meantime, he was referred to what seemed like a revolving door of specialists, none of whom wanted to amputate.
Persistence paid off when he finally met an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in cancer tumours at Mount Sinai.
His left leg was amputated several inches below his knee and the peroneal nerve, which runs down to his foot, was removed. Chris says his surgeon suspects the nerve was the cause of his pain. Oddly, part of the nerve was encased in bone which, for an unexplained reason, had grown around it.
He is bruised and in some pain from the amputation. But the leg pain has gone.
In less than a week, he’s eating better because his appetite has returned, he is sleeping better and he doesn’t begin every single day with unmanageable pain. His mother, Judy White, is taking care of him at home and he has regular visits from a nurse.
He was ready for the surgery. The morning of his amputation, when he woke up in pain, “I knew I was doing the right thing,” he says.
“I can’t wake up like this anymore.”
Chris will eventually be fitted for a prosthetic leg, which will include a brace to support his knee. He says a basic limb with supplies will be paid for through the Ontario Disability Support Program.
One of his goals is to walk on his 39th birthday in early September. A bit ambitious, he admits. But he’s hoping his leg heals fast enough that he’ll be able to wear a tester limb and plant two feet on the ground as he walks between parallel bars at Niagara Prosthetics.
“I’ve worked my butt off to get here,” he says. “This will be my birthday present to myself.”
Goals are once again achievable. In just more than a week, Chris will walk with crutches around a 400metre track in Niagara Falls to support Heater’s Heroes, an annual fundraising event for local children facing life challenges. The event takes place noon to 10 p.m. at Oakes Park in the Falls, on Saturday, Aug. 11.
“I have no limitations any more. I’ve been restricted for so long,” he says.
“If I have an idea or goal I’m going to blow it out of the park.”
He wants to work again. Maybe as a musician. He used to play bass guitar and had a recording studio. Or maybe his calling is motivational speaking. He hopes to coach his son’s soccer team next summer.
Most of all, he is happy.
“When I get my leg and I’m 100 per cent healthy, it’s which way do I want to run?” he says.
“Now, it’s not ‘I can’t do anything’ but ‘How will I do it differently?’”