‘Appreciate life’: Firefighter returns to duty after accident and amputation

Florida firefighter John Johnson has returned to active duty after a life-changing accident, 13 surgeries, and the amputation of part of his leg.

Twenty-two months ago, Johnson’s life was upended by an off-duty accident.

“I had a 10-12 foot fall. I didn’t think much of it. I broke the tibia and the fibula,” Johnson said.

The surgery to stabilize the fracture with rods and screws initially seemed straightforward, but complications arose weeks later.

“One of the incisions had turned necrotic and started turning black,” Johnson said.

The tissue beneath his skin refused to heal, and over the next 10 months, doctors tried skin grafts and other treatments, but nothing worked.

When asked how many surgeries he had, Johnson said there were 13 total, and nine were just trying to fix the hole in his leg, but all the tissue kept dying.

The repeated setbacks took a toll on his mental health.

“If it wasn’t for my wife and my son, I was in a low, low area,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, Johnson decided to amputate part of his leg, a choice his surgeon supported.

“He said people who ask for an amputation do 10 times better than people who lose their leg unexpectedly,” Johnson said.

He remembers his amputation vividly, especially the support he received from his colleagues at Lee Memorial Hospital.

“They closed off a whole parking lot and brought in all the fire trucks so the next morning when I opened up my window, they stuck the ladders up to the window just supporting me. Still brings tears to my eyes,” Johnson said.

Determined to continue his career, Johnson returned to active duty this summer with the help of a special prosthetic.

When asked what the process taught Johnson, he said. “Appreciate life, appreciate the little things.”