10 Things I WISH I Knew BEFORE Losing My Leg

i am literally lying in a hospital bed preparing for a below knee amputation due to a similar injury and your video popped up completely out of no where and it’s really made me feel ready for what is happening to me in just under an hour thank you so much for helping me

"Comparison is a thief of joy." Something I needed to hear.

My daughter had a below the knee amputation in Oct 2020. Your page has helped us a lot. Thank you

4:20 "Comparison is the thief of joy" That needs to be printed on stickers, t-shirts, everything!

I had a car wreck 10 months ago and have been battling setbacks with a non union fracture. Infections, failed hardware, etc. 4 days ago, my doctor said it is finally time to look at amputation. I am trying to digest this new reality. It is so great to see your video. Thank you and I will be checking out more of your videos.

“Comparison is the thief of all joy” My mother used to say that to me when I was small, so this touched me.

Thank you. I have had an above knee amputation for 57 years—since I was 11. You verbalized a lot of what I have experienced and that validation is quite comforting. I would have liked to have been told that I still would have had the sensation that I had my leg after I woke up. And about bad electrical-like shocks in my stump. Gabipentin helps a lot for those. Thanks again. Keep up your spirit.

I’m not an amputee at all, but I love all of your videos and watching your journey. The highs and the lows. You are one of the few YouTubers who shows it all and are vulnerable online and that’s just such an authentic thing and I absolutely love it.

"Learn how to fall" I can't tell you how many times this one skill has saved my bacon. I trained as a paratrooper, and we spent two solid weeks learning how to fall - to the point it all became a reflex. I've fallen off of planes, trains, and even the top of armored personnel carrier with nary a broken bone. So yes, practice, practice, practice!

Very helpful information...I'm a nurse and this is stuff it would be great to be able to pass on to patients. Also, could you maybe do a FAQ aimed at the elementary school crowd...might be able to cut down on some of the random stares🙂

These points are 100% spot on! I'm not an amputee but a two-time cancer survivor. I believe anyone who is about to undergo a life-changing event needs to hear and understand these points. Indeed, the medical staff does not distribute a brochure detailing how your life will change after whatever event occurs.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” Say that again! I randomly clicked on this video and that really resonated. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I wanted to thank you for your video. I am not an amputee but became disabled 14 years ago. Watching you being as positive as you are really helped me today. It's easy to be upset with Doctors that don't listen and to realize things could have been different. It is what it is and you drove that point home to me. Thank you.

When I need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I just crawl.

What you said about not being able to blend into a crowd and feeling unsafe because of that really resonated with me. I started using a wheelchair a little over a year ago to help with my chronic illness and fatigue, and maybe I was a bit naive but I didn't expect to be closely observed by literally everyone I met. I totally understand it but it's such a huge energy drain for me, so it's still very energy demanding to be out and about. Because of this I try to walk my dog early in the mornings and late at night, when there are the least amount of people outside.

I started watching your videos because Aaron asked for his followers to come over and check you out. Subscribing to a YouTube channel is a personal commitment so I don't do it without a lot of thought. In fact, I sometimes anguish over letting go of a youtuber that I no longer enjoy their content because I am here for the person as much as their content. You are only the 2nd amputee I know, the first being way back in the day when I worked at Circuit City. A coworker had lost his dominant arm in a car crash a few years before we started working together. I share all this because we get to know a lot of about you but you rarely get to know much about the people that watch your videos and their motives. I simply enjoy you as a person. If I still had a job that brought me to the springs on a regular basis, I feel you'd be someone I'd enjoy hanging around. You are an inspiration but you are also authentic. You share the good, bad, and sometimes the ugly. I am very happy Aaron gave you a shoutout on his channel because following your journey is interesting, inspiring, and I learn a lot. Who knows, one day I may cross paths again with someone that is an amputee and I will be more knowledgeable so hopefully I won't embarrass myself or them. My former coworker got named "One armed Keith" because there were multiple Keith's that worked there and after a month or two no one even thought about the fact he didn't have an arm unless he needed to tie his shoes. So thank you Jo for sharing your journey, it is appreciated.

I really enjoy spending moments with you every now and then. And whether you’re an amputee or not a lot of what you just said can be very helpful. And put towards any sort of healing you were going through. No matter what the situation don’t base your healing on other people.

It is my dream to become a prosthetist. I am likely to become an amputee myself and I have always been interested in the medical part behind it. Your videos really help me! ❤️🙋🏼‍♀️

I love the good vibes that come out from you and your good energies. I wish you the very best!

Yes, part 2 please! I am just starting to share my own journey and it's hard to be so vulnerable, thank you for sharing <3 I've had a few major life changes that I'm going to share soon and yet I feel thankful/grateful. Watching your videos has been helping me on my journey.