Compass Communications

One man’s journey through limb loss

Story and photo by Lisa Rowell

When Jon Strunk walked into the restaurant that Saturday morning — a place we’d meet to talk about his limb loss — little did I know that I would be meeting someone I would want to call friend and that our meeting would entail so much more than talking about the loss of a physical part of oneself. 

Limb loss awareness

One breakfast bar, a few tears, and several carafes of coffee later, what Jon would share with me is a tale of raw grit and survival. 

April is National Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness month. While limb loss is self-explanatory,  “limb difference” refers to an arm or leg that is not shaped or developed in the typical way. Present at birth or acquired through factors such as an injury, limb difference can be the presence of an arm or leg that is different in length, shape, or function compared to a “normal” limb.

The Amputee Coalition estimates that 2.3 million people in the United States live with limb loss and 3.4 million live with limb difference. 

Each year, about 150,000 people undergo a lower extremity amputation in the United States. The most common causes leading to amputation are diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, neuropathy, and trauma.

Jon’s story

Sarah, Jon’s wife of nine years, would become his rock, along with the comfort of the couple’s two dogs, as the course of his life would take a dramatic turn on March 24, 2023 when he lost his leg. It would not be the first time his life would become disrupted.

Jon was diagnosed with diabetes when he was just 24. He weighed 465 pounds at his heaviest. He suffered two heart attacks — the first when he was just 32. Needless to say, Jon was no stranger to adversity. 

“At first, the general consensus was that it wasn’t going to cost me my career.” Jon said of his limb loss. 

Jon lost his right leg below the knee. He had been a truck driver for 23 years and had logged 2.53 million safe miles with the company he was driving for before his injury, On Time Courier, out of Lebanon, Ky. That injury would result in a devastating infection, causing Jon to not only lose his leg, but also lose the career he loved. It would happen not so much because of his limb loss but because of red tape. 

“I miss the road every day,” he said. “I loved it.”

A snafu with a required DOT waiver that would allow Jon to continue driving across state lines with a prosthetic leg would cause his career to come to a screeching halt, along with his income. 

“That company was very, very good to me,” Jon recalled. “I was off work four months and my paycheck never stopped.”

“I’ve been denied Social Security seven times,” Jon said. “They tell me I’m not disabled enough. They don’t consider an amputation disabling.” 

Since Jon did not meet the SSA’s criteria for being disabled (despite other health issues), it was a mad scramble to find a company that would hire him despite his disability. He was still trying to acclimate to his new reality and he was still healing.  

“I was dealing with very limited employment opportunities,” Jon said. “I’m a liability.” Jon felt many of the jobs in our community for which he might be otherwise qualified were just not suitable for someone who is not able-bodied. He walks with a cane to help steady his gait and some days, he uses a wheel chair. 

Modern Distributing was just the company to give him the break he needed. He currently works there as a night billing clerk and he said they have been very good to him and understanding of his disability. 

Jon said his previous employer, On Time Courier, and now Modern Distributing have been the only two employers that have made accommodations for him because of his limb loss while also making him feel valued. 

“Working at Modern has saved my life.”

From infection, to limb loss, to recovery

Due to neuropathy in his feet, Jon did not realize a little piece of metal had become embedded in his right foot. “It wasn’t even a millimeter in size,” he recalled. 

“I noticed my foot was getting red and I thought it was getting infected.” 

That was on a Monday. By Wednesday, Jon said his foot was so swollen he couldn’t get his boot on without forcing it. 

By Friday afternoon, he went to his doctor who told him he had wet gangrene — a severe, rapidly spreading and life-threatening condition.

Jon said he went to Lexington via ambulance. Having previously sustained two heart attacks, and the nature of how quickly the infection was spreading, there was no time to take chances. 

Jon said he arrived at UK Hospital that evening. As the infection continued to travel, he was told he would have to lose his foot to stop it. 

He noticed a red spot developing about midway up his shin that was spreading out and feared the worst. 

Jon wouldn’t know just how much of his leg would be lost until he woke up from surgery. He said he was told the severity of his condition was beyond just cutting out the dead tissue. 

“I knew in my heart my career was over,” he recalled. “I started crying because that’s the only job I had done since I was 21 years old.” 

He said any hope of keeping his CDL would depend on how much of his leg needed to be removed. 

Everything below Jon’s knee and a portion of his calf would ultimately be removed. 

He recalled waking up in recovery at 2:30 a.m. “I looked over and saw that the limb was gone.” 

It took fourth months from the time Jon lost his leg before he would walk using a prosthetic.  

Prior to receiving his prosthetic leg, Jon said the staff at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation in Lexington taught him how to get around with his walker and one leg. 

He had to learn how to do basic tasks all over again with one leg. 

“It’s amazing when you lose a limb, how you realize nothing can stop you almost.” 

He went through physical therapy in the hospital prior to coming home. Then he followed up with PT Pros. 

Jon said he was fitted for his prosthetic leg on July 15, 2023, and walked again on July 29, 2023. 

“I want people to know they are not alone,” Jon said. “Losing a limb can be very traumatic because it closes more doors than it will ever open, especially toward employment.” 

These days, Jon’s wife Sarah tells him he’s very independent. He tries not to let too much slow him down. 

Jon belongs to a Facebook support group — Amputees of Kentucky — which is run by Cardinal Hill.

For more information, visit /amputee-coalition.org/