EmRebJac

I don't have a concrete number--I know by the end of the first year I was already over a million in debt. I would guess about 1.5 million total to date (not accounting for future prosthetic costs which will be about $20,000 every 4 years)

I was 22 & medically uninsured at this time, so the only money collected was from the car insurance policies--around $350,000 total. I was denied Medicaid, SSI disability, & Medicare, so the first 2 years most of my non emergency surgeries were the product of my orthopedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, & lawyer working their asses off on my behalf. They put me through charities & reduced or cut their fee. My lawyer got the hospitals to reduce the bill by 90%--and then he surprised me by opening up a Medical Trust Fund & giving me all of his portion for future prosthetic costs. I was lucky enough to have some amazing strangers come into my life & sacrifice their time/money. After a couple years I was finally accepted by Medicare/Medicaid & they have pretty much paid for everything since.

He is an amazing, wonderful person. He visits on occasion, & recently flew me out to NYC to visit him. I know he had to go to court for the ticket, but we didn't really talk about the legal side of things. It was an accident, nothing more. He was leaving work & lost control on ice going under 10mph. No lawsuits or anger, just a new friend

I would get glimpses of how hard it was for him in the beginning. He would visit me in the hospital & I could feel the sadness dripping off of him, but he wouldn't ever talk about it because he said he felt that what he went through pales in comparison. To be honest, I would much rather be in my shoes than his.

Mostly kids are just curious. They like to ask a lot of questions & touch the prosthetic & say whatever they're thinking. Fun to watch the parents cringe at the adorably politically incorrect things they say

Edit: Someone asked for an example, so this is probably my favorite. A girl, about 5, asked what happened, & after telling her I was hit by a car she looked at me like I was a total idiot & said, "That's why I look both ways before I cross the street," then smugly walked away, all proud of her safety knowledge.

Oh, sxeysteve, it'll take more than that to offend me.

Amputee joke contest. Go