A Father and Son Share Their Experience Navigating Limb Loss

Chris and Chris Jr. didn’t expect limb loss to become their common language. But over the past several years, their father-son bond has taken on a deeper meaning as they navigate limb loss, a journey neither of them expected.

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What began as separate medical challenges became a shared experience that reshaped not only their physical lives, but their relationship with each other. Through surgeries, setbacks, and hard-earned milestones, this father and son have learned what it truly means to lean on one another and to keep moving forward, together.

A Father’s Inspiring Courage After Limb Loss

Chris’ journey began years ago with complications from diabetes. After losing his big toe on his right leg, he was referred to Hanger Clinic, where he received a specialized diabetic shoe to help him adjust. For a while, he managed. After about five years later, his condition worsened, leading to a transmetatarsal amputation (TMA) on his right foot. Due to his diabetes, healing was slow and complex, requiring advanced wound care.

In 2016, Chris developed an infection. Rather than facing what would potentially be repeated gradual loss, he chose to undergo a more significant amputation. “I didn’t want to go through that again,” he recalls. Following surgery and recovery, his right leg eventually stabilized, and life moved forward.

But in July 2020, another challenge emerged, this time in his left foot. What started as a blister quickly escalated. Within days, his foot darkened, and the pain became severe. Remembering his previous experience, Chris did not want to experience what would likely be another prolonged fight with infection. He made the decision to amputate his left leg below the knee, deciding this was his best path forward.

Through it all, Chris adapted. He learned to walk again using his prosthesis, gaining independence step by step. His journey wasn’t easy, but it shaped him into a source of knowledge and strength, something his son would come to rely on years later.

Years Later, Son Experiences Limb Loss  

Chris Jr.’s journey began more suddenly. In May 2025, he traveled to Dallas for a convention, spending days on his feet. By the time he returned home, he had developed severe blisters. At first, it seemed manageable despite his diabetes. His left foot healed, but his right foot didn’t. For six months, the infection persisted, despite treatment attempts. Then one day, everything changed.

“I collapsed trying to get out of bed,” Chris Jr. recalled. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

Given what they had already experienced, Chris Jr.’s mother didn’t hesitate and urged him to go straight to the hospital. Upon arrival, doctors immediately discovered sepsis. He underwent emergency surgery resulting in a partial foot amputation, but the infection continued to spread. Ultimately, Chris Jr. underwent a below-knee amputation. He spent 22 days between the hospital and rehab, facing both physical and emotional hurdles.

“It was scary,” he admits. “Trying to comprehend life without a leg.”

Leaning on Each Other as Father and Son 

For the first time, their roles began to shift.

“When my dad first lost his leg, I didn’t fully understand,” Chris Jr. recalled. “Then it happened to me and I quickly realized how tough it really is!”

Chris became his son’s steady source of reassurance, guiding him through his first prosthetic fitting, phantom limb pain management, and the emotional weight of adjustment. But the support flowed both ways.

“I’ve learned a lot from my son,” Chris said. “During COVID, I didn’t go to rehab like he did. He showed me things and tricks I didn’t know. We’re really leaning on each other.”

Chris once needed help adjusting to life after limb loss, and Chris Jr. now faces those same challenges, and their relationship has come full circle. They bond over shared experiences, exchanging videos they come across online about new prosthetic technology and encouraging each other to keep going. The two admitted some days are still harder than others.

“There are times I feel completely defeated, and my dad reminds me that it’s okay to rest, that I don’t have to push through everything,” Chris Jr. shared.

Chris added, “I check in with Chris Jr., help him manage the pain, and talk through phantom sensations. We just keep each other going.”

Celebrating in Each Other’s Successes 

Both have celebrated meaningful milestones along the way. For son Chris Jr., standing for the first time without support was transformative.

“I went so long thinking I’d never stand again,” Chris Jr. said.

For dad Chris, each advancement in prosthetic technology has opened new doors. With a newer, more advanced ankle, he’s able to walk more naturally.

Both continue to work toward new goals now. Chris Jr. dreams of driving again using a left-foot pedal and hopes to one day volunteer in rehabilitation centers, offering guidance to others just beginning their journey. Chris hopes to ride a bike again, and maybe even run.

Patient-Centered Care 

A big part of their progress has come through the care and support they’ve received at Hanger Clinic in Greenville, South Carolina.

“From the moment you walk in, you’re treated like family,” Chris said. “It doesn’t feel like a typical doctor’s office.”

They credit their clinician, Brittney Curcio Barrientos, MSPO, CPO, for helping them not just recover and learn to best use their prostheses, but truly live again by connecting them with resources, support groups, and a broader amputee community they didn’t even know existed.

“She’s helping us live life to the fullest,” Chris Jr. shared.

Maternal Support When It Matters Most 

Their wife and mother, Pam, has been the constant source of strength throughout both journeys. 

“She holds our entire family together,” they both shared. “We’d be nothing without her!”

From sitting beside them in the hospital to managing the countless details of their care, her support has been unwavering.

The Path Forward for Father and Son 

Today, Chris and Chris Jr. continue moving forward. Two men with the same name, similar paths, and a shared understanding of resilience.

Together, they are proof that even in life’s hardest moments, strength can be shared and hope can be rebuilt, one step at a time.

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If you or someone you love are looking for personalized orthotic or prosthetic care, get in touch with a board-certified orthotist/prosthetist at a Hanger Clinic near you.

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