home alone and could not walk . I dragged myself to the car , supporting myself by any means possible , walls , handrails , anything to help keep the weight of my legs . After making it to the hospital and consulting with four doctors , it was determined that both my quads were ruptured and necrosis had set in . I was rushed in for surgery right away and the hope was that it hadn ’ t progressed too far .
The surgeon had a little chat with me before putting me under sedation and he told me that there was a high likelihood that he would have to remove the left leg all together and he was going to do his best to save most of the right leg . He was certain that the necrosis of the dead tissue would spread and cause further infection . Amputation would be my best option at this point .
Juan : WOW ! This is intense John . What thoughts went through your head when you heard you may lose both legs due to this injury ?
John : No one can imagine the thoughts that ran through my head in that moment .
How was I going to cope with only 1 leg when my whole life was bodybuilding ?
How was I going to work and do personal training ? How was I going to support myself or even walk my dog ?
A million thoughts ran through my head but they were slowly clouded over as the morphine and anaesthesia kicked in .
Six hours later , I was woken up by a doctor . She was shaking me saying : “ Wake up , good news , we didn ’ t have to amputate your legs !”
As I looked down to ensure what she was saying was correct , I was ecstatic to see 2 feet sticking out of the bottom of the bed sheet . I still couldn ’ t move them but they were there , still attached !
As I lay in bed recovering , I became really depressed as I realized that I was not going to compete in this year ’ s bodybuilding show …… nor could I ?
I thought that if I could stand up , I could still compete . Maybe these doctors were wrong and I would be able to walk in the next 2 weeks . It was now Saturday April 12th and the show wasn ’ t until the 26th .
I spent the next few days in bed unable to move and after a few attempts at trying to stand ; I soon realized that competing was out of the question . The surgery had left me with 26 staples in both quads that were loosely holding together a 13-inch-long hole in both legs .
Over the next 2 weeks , I lay on the couch with my feet elevated to allow my quads to drain , I contemplated giving up bodybuilding all together . I could not believe that the sport I loved had placed me in this predicament . If it had not been for my girlfriend Kim and my dog Buster , I surely would have lost my mind . I was totally disabled and I couldn ’ t even get up to go to the washroom on my own . It takes a crisis sometimes to realize who you can truly count on . Buster never left my side throughout the recovery and he loved that as he loved to sleep more than anyone . Their love and support gave me the strength to literally get back on my feet .
After a few weeks went by , I started to realize that my situation could be a lot worse and many people are worse off than me so it was time to get up out of that bed and “ try again ”.
Everyone has set backs and hardships that they have to deal with . You just can ’ t be a victim of your circumstances , you have to keep trying , keep fighting , keep struggling , keep showing up and giving it
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