Brooks Rehab profiled our wonderful client, Barthell Pickett. Read the article below:
Barthel Pickett
Traumatic Above Knee Amputation Secondary to Being Hit by Car
Barthel Pickett and his wife Rose were about to leave on vacation in July 2019. Wanting a little extra spending money for the trip, Barthel decided to meet with one last landscaping client before they headed out of town. It was a decision that changed his life.
As Barthel and his nephew were talking outside with the client, a woman was speeding around the corner away from the accident she just caused a block away. The nephew was able to jump out of the way but Barthel and his client were not as lucky. She hit both of them, pinning Barthel to his truck. She continued trying to drive forward but her bumper was stuck. As she revved her car faster to escape, the force ripped Barthel’s right leg off, ruptured his spine, broke six ribs and broke his left leg in three different places.
“God had his hand on me. He kept me alive. The paramedics thought I was in shock because I felt no pain. I spoke to them the entire way to the trauma unit at UF Health Jacksonville,” said Barthel.
Rose, a certified nursing assistant, became Barthel’s personal caregiver. “She held my hand and prayed. She was with me every day and night, making sure I was getting the best care. This accident brought my wife and I closer to each other.” They spent 92 days at UF Health where Barthel had 15 surgeries.
Barthel was finally ready to begin inpatient rehabilitation. He heard great things about Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital (BRH) from his goddaughter who recovered there and refused to go anywhere else for care. “From day one, I felt inspired. I felt so much energy that I was willing to do whatever they asked me to do. I didn’t want to leave because I was making so much progress. But they sent me to outpatient therapy with Steve Pompilio,” said Barthel.
Barthel also met with Mike Richard, CPO/LPO from Advance Prosthetics and Orthotics. “I had no doubt he’d get a prosthetic that worked for him but I’ll admit I had my doubts that he’d ever be able to walk. It took me and two techs to get him to stand up the first time in my office.”
Dr. Weiss knew that Barthel’s weight was a contributing factor. At close to 350 pounds, walking with a prosthetic and a leg that was recently broken was going to be a challenge. Dr. Weiss called in Brooks dietician, Kerrin Going, MS, RD, LDN, to assist. Going worked with Barthel and Rose to create a nutritional plan to help get his weight down.
Not only was Barthel able to walk, but he actually walked better with the prosthetic because he could put more weight on it. He is now back to cleaning the yard and raking leaves at home.
Barthel’s positive attitude also contributed to his recovery. “Don’t worry about things you can’t control. Why be miserable when you can be happy? I’ve been surrounded by so many wonderful people that I don’t even look at my amputation as a curse, but a blessing. I’m not bitter. I keep asking what’s my next challenge? Because I am constantly overcoming.”