Name: James McCook
Type of Amputation: Bi-lateral BK
Profession: Retired
Jim McCook retired from his career as Quality Manager at General Motors Detroit Diesel in 1987. After 35 years of hard work, he looked forward to enjoying a comfortable retirement spent with his wife, Alda Marie and family, especially his 9
grandkids. But, as we all know, you never know what fate has in store. Jim recalls waking up late one night in April of 1992, and feeling like he might have a fever. At the time, Jim never expected that he would wake up in the hospital two
months later, with both legs amputated below the knee and most of his fingers amputated as well.
 Unknowingly, Jim had contracted septicemia, a bacterial infection in his bloodstream, which progressed to septic
shock. This condition causes blood pressure to decrease dramatically, often resulting in fatality. The type of bacteria that can trigger septicemia exists on many of the surfaces we come in contact with every day, but rarely does it actually
make its way into the bloodstream. Under the siege of septic shock, Jim's blood began to coagulate, depriving the capillaries in his extremities of sufficient oxygen supply. It wasn't long before the tissue on his legs and fingers
began to deteriorate, and the doctors knew that amputations were imminent.
With extensive medical care, prayers, and a lot of luck, Jim eventually made a full recovery, and is back at home with his family. Today, he is back to doing his favorite activities like swimming in the pool, playing with his grandchildren,
and walking 1.5 miles every day. It wasn't an easy road to recovery, but Jim was insistent on resuming his old lifestyle. Jim comments, "Some people in my situation say, 'why me?' but I don't - there's no point to dwelling on the past."
 Jim wears the College Park TruStep Foot, and enjoys the function and mobility he gets from them. "I
can concentrate on my grandkids because I don't have to think about where I'm walking - my TruStep Feet give me enough stability and function that I don't have to worry about stepping on something other than flat ground," states Jim, "And that's important when I'm playing with my grandkids in the back yard!"
Jim's family is thankful for the high technology his new feet afford him, too. Jim comments, "My wife was really concerned when I was first being fitted with prostheses, we certainly never thought we'd have to face something like
this. After she saw how well I get around on these TruStep Feet, it really put her mind at ease."
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