Jimmo was shot in the aorta and given a 5% chance of survival. That experience has changed his life, and he has used it as motivation to conquer and thrive. Here’s his story:
I have been an amputee since 2016. I lost both my limbs below the knee after I was randomly shot close range with a desert eagle. The bullet hit my aorta, broke my bottom rib and lodged between my second and third ribs on the left side. The incident occurred on July 21st, 2016. A day I will never forget.
I met Julianne Gupta, CPO (my prosthetist) while I was an inpatient at Boston Medical Center. She came in my room, introduced herself and asked if she could explain the process I was about to go through. At the time she wasn’t trying to get me as a client. She simply answered all my questions and allowed me to begin to think about a future using prosthetics. She gave me a list of other prosthetic companies to view and told me to call them and get as much info as I could. I called all of them and they all told me they wouldn’t even talk to me until I was ready to be fitted… It was at that moment I called Julianne back, she answered and I never spoke to another prosthetist!
Being a new amputee was the most difficult adjustment I’ve ever had to make in my life. Julianne allowed me to contact her at any time. Any questions I had she knew the answers, and when she didn’t, she found out and got back to me. Early on, I was also struggling with steps and pivoting. She was super knowledgeable and gave me tips that would speed up my recovery process! The most important thing for a new amputee is knowledge and comfort (meaning find someone that is knowledgeable and makes you feel comfortable). Because the world will make us feel uncomfortable some times.
