Pain and positivity: learning to walk differently

By nORMa B. dennIs FreeLANCe WrIter ndworddesign@gmail.com

Perception and reality are often two different things. Doug MacColl admits his original view of a prosthetic limb was that of a pirate’s peg leg from when he was 5 or 6 years old. Today, MacColl uses a state-of-the-art computerized prosthetic leg to replace the left one which was amputated last fall.

“I had no idea of the changes technology had made in prosthetics,” he said. “My doctor told me I could do everything I did before, just at a slower pace.”

MacColl’s journey to get him from the loss of his natural leg to using an artificial one has been long and painful. But his story is also one of inspiration.

Diagnosed with lupus five years ago, a daily regimen of mediation was keeping it under control. Unbeknownst to MacColl, however, due to the lupus he developed antiphospholipid syndrome. APS means his blood became very thick and sticky and was highly prone to clots.

On Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, a date MacColl says he will always remember, all of the toes on his left foot went numb. As the weekend progressed the numbness and a strange white coloration moved up his foot. He could not see his doctor until the 16th, and by the 18th it had gotten so bad the doctor advised him to go to an emergency center.

“I think my wife was already waiting in the car by the time I finished talking to the doctor,” MacColl said. In approximately three hours, MacColl had been seen by triage, put on blood thinners, transported to Moses Cone Hospital, discussed treatment with a vascular surgeon and was prepped for surgery.

“I had been in pharmaceutical sales for 16 years and knew enough to imagine potential issues with blood clots,” MacColl said. “I could feel my mortality and got very emotional. I needed to see my children again. They are my world. Other kids might have talked about being a fireman or policeman, but I wanted to grow up to be a dad. In my opinion I have the two most amazing children ever.”

Due to Covid restrictions and the ages of his children at the time (8 and 11), they could not go into the hospital to visit their dad, but he was wheeled outside the