My name is John David Sims, and I am a retired teacher/principal with the Cobb County School System.
At the age of 80, I had a very significant life changing event – I became an amputee. Unfortunately, this is due to a long history of smoking that led to vascular disease, and ultimately loosing my left leg above the knee.
I have been a patient of Vascular Surgical Associates for numerous years, and in particular Dr. Hafner. I had several surgeries prior to the amputation, to try and help with the blood flow in my leg, but after a length of time, and a final surgery to try and save my leg, there were no other options but to amputate.
The day before my amputation surgery, a young man came into my hospital room to discuss the amputation and how things would go with a prosthetic after the surgery. This was when I met Eric Chen – and even before I had my leg removed, I began developing a special relationship with Eric.
Eric has been a wonderful inspiration to me during the entire process from surgery, fittings for prosthetics and physical therapy. Also, being a part of the support group has been a tremendous help to me and my wife. Now at the age of 81 and being an amputee, I feel certain I can continue living my life, thanks to the tremendous support I have from family, the support group and Eric.
