ST. FRANCIS HONORS COURAGEOUS PATIENT

For Larry Moon, the most difficult part of losing both his legs and suffering serious internal injuries because of an accident is accepting what happened to him.

"I just take it day by day," Moon said.

In his journey toward acceptance, he has shown a determination that has inspired others and won him St. Francis Medical Center's Courageous Patient Award.

The award, given to Moon Thursday night during St. Francis' annual dinner, is presented annually to a patient the hospital's staff has seen show tremendous courage.

"This ordeal had to be very hard for him," said Carol Franklin, a certified occupational therapy assistant at St. Francis. "He was facing a whole new way of life, a whole new way of doing things."

"It's been a long road to recovery, and I'm still working on it," Moon said. "It's hard to take, but I'm doing it."

On May 17, Moon was working for Continental Waste Industries when a van struck the back of the garbage truck he was working on, penning Moon between the van and the truck. Doctors had to amputate both legs above the knee. Moon went through 15 major surgeries for internal injuries. He was in the hospital 111 days.

The memories of the first few days of Moon's hospitalization are a blur for his wife, Susan.

"I do remember, though, when Larry realized he had lost his legs," his wife said. She said he pointed to the end of the bed and made a scissor motion with his fingers. His sister told him that, yes, they had amputated his legs.

"He started to cry," Susan Moon said. "That was really hard. But Larry has been great at handling what was handed to him, what was handed to all of us."

Moon said there were so many people rooting for him he couldn't just give up.

"A lot of my good outlook was because I knew these people were supporting me," Moon said.

There's his wife, who has been at his side through all his struggles, including those since he went home from the hospital July 9.

"She went through a lot of stuff, too," Moon said. "It's something you don't expect to happen."

His three children, William, 23; Gary, 18; and Katelyn, 10, have also inspired him in his struggles.

He said his children have handled things well. "They were glad I was able to make it through," Moon said, especially considering how close he came to dying.

He said he also found support from his parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters, other family members, friends, church groups that prayed for his recovery and the staff at St. Francis.

"I made a lot of friends there," Moon said of the hospital.

Moon should be an inspiration to what can be done with the right attitude, said Ellen Holcomb, a registered occupational therapist at St. Francis. She taught Moon how to drive a vehicle with hand controls.

"Rehab patients are often bitter and angry, and that causes a lot of blocking," Holcomb said. But Moon always showed a positive attitude, and she believes that helped with his recovery.

"He wanted to get done what needed to be done to get out," Franklin said. "His one goal was to get out and walk, and he stayed determined to meet that goal."

But what really impressed Franklin was how Moon encouraged other patients.

"He'd tell them, 'If I can do this, you can.'" Franklin said.

While Moon was in the hospital, a younger patient came in with similar injuries.

"Larry and his wife talked to him about what he could expect," said Danette Neikirk, a St. Francis physical therapist. "Larry wasn't just a patient, he was a mentor who encouraged others."

Moon said there are those times when he mourns the life he has lost, when he gets angry about what happened to him, when he thinks about how his life has changed.

"But you either go on or give up," Moon said. And he has chosen to go on and live life the best he can.

Learning to walk again is part of that life, Moon said.

Neikirk, who worked with Moon on learning to walk on artificial legs, said it isn't easy. "It's like teaching someone to walk on 3-foot stilts," Neikirk said.

The therapy was emotionally and physically tiring, and there was pain involved, Neikirk said. "Through the whole process, he was positive," she said.

Another step toward independence was learning to drive.

Through the driver's rehabilitation program at St. Francis, he learned to drive with hand controls for the brake and accelerator and a spinner knob.

Moon's own vehicle has been modified with hand controls and a wheelchair lift.

The Moons have added ramps, railings and a patio to the outside of their home to make it easier for Moon to get in and out. They are having the bathroom modified so Moon can enter it in his wheelchair.

As Moon continues to do more things, it has set off new fears for his wife.

"I know he's a grown man," she said. "But I get so afraid he's going to get hurt."

Moon wants to get back as close as he can to the way life was before.

"I know it will take awhile," he said. "But I want to get back to normal living."