Stumpy's Blog

This blog is about my return to Walter Reed to get a new leg. I am an above-the-knee amputee. I lost my leg in April 2007 in Iraq while riding in a Humvee that was struck by an "explosively formed projectile" -- a molten metal jet stream released from a homemade roadside bomb. My left knee was shattered and later amputated at Walter Reed. I rushed through rehab to get back to Alaska quickly. But my leg continued to change, and now my prosthetic doesn't fit, and I need to begin again. I'll keep you posted on my progress and experience. This time, it will work.


About me

Joshua Ferguson

I joined the Army in 1996 and my position is as a forward observer. My dad was in the Air Force and I'm the oldest of four with one brother and two sisters. My wife is Danielle, and we have three young children, J.J., 5 in June, Corinne, 3 in July, and little Madeline, 1 this month. My goal is to complete a full 20 years in the military, and then retire to become a teacher at the elementary or high school levels.

FEATURE STORY

New life & limbs

Read reporter George Bryson's account of how Ferguson ended up on his way back to Walter Reed.

Archive

Iron Dog - 11/11/2009 6:45 pm

Running and Snow - 11/9/2009 3:40 pm

Waszack - 10/29/2009 7:38 pm

Waiting for the rut! - 10/29/2009 6:20 pm

OK hunt was Awesome! - 10/20/2009 11:51 pm

Football - 10/5/2009 5:50 pm

Golf & Football - 10/1/2009 5:11 pm

Crossroads - 9/23/2009 11:47 am

Where were you? - 9/11/2009 7:34 pm

Facebook is crazy - 9/10/2009 1:39 pm

Two more - 9/9/2009 11:27 am

Hell of a year - 9/6/2009 7:24 am

New 4/25 guys at Walter Reed - 6/28/2009 4:23 pm

Tournament on Friday - 5/6/2009 2:25 pm

Still slacking - 4/29/2009 4:39 pm

Slacking - 4/7/2009 12:28 am

Less than a week - 3/24/2009 4:49 am

Still unclear - 3/23/2009 11:43 pm

More surgery? - 3/12/2009 7:06 pm

Gone again - 3/9/2009 4:41 pm

Good Morning! - 3/3/2009 3:37 am

I hate sleep! - 2/20/2009 12:08 am

full archive »

Slacking

Posted by stumpysblog

Posted: April 7, 2009 - 12:28 am

Comments (0) |

Holy buckets! I didn't realize that I had not posted on here since the 24th of March!

The girls all made it down on the 30th. Our brother-in-law drove them down. I can't tell you how much I neede that! We still have to work some logistic issues on getting the rest of their stuff home, but that's small potatoes.

I got my PET scan last Tuesday. The good news is they don't see any cause for concern. No infection, no issues with the nerves, and most important there doesn't seem to be any tearing of the muscle. We're still wondering what is going on with the pain issues, but more than likely, it seems to be just plain old nerve pain. I have been kind of going non stop around here.

We had a little get together for Maddy this last weekend. It's kind of funny when Danny is speaking to her mom on the phone about how they just got new snow and I am tossing another log on the fire on the patio in between flipping steaks on the grill. Gotta get in a bit of fun.

I'm taking Corinne to the Frozen Four Championship Game here in town. A friend knew someone with tickets to any event at the Verizon Center and they gave us a pair of tickets. Pretty friggin cool! Not taking the boy this time, I think Corinne needs a bit of quality daddy time. I am also set to bring her on a tour of the Pentagon this month as well.

I got another leg today. The prescription has been in for awhile now, but we were waiting to see what was going on inside the stump. Seems to be all clear so we went ahead. It is called the Plea, it is a new knee that is a smart knee/mechanical hybrid. In theory it is supposed to be a bit more durable, that will be put to the test. At a minimum it is waterproof to three meters. I'm waiting to see how it does on the bike. I still don't have that whole deal figured out yet. A bit more tricky than I remember it.

That's about it for now. Not too much going on really other than enjoying having the girls back. I'll get off my butt and post some pics on here. Take care-Josh


login or register to post comments

By submitting your comment, you are agreeing to adn.com's user agreement.

UPDATE ON COMMENTS POLICY: Read before posting

Edit your profile and avatar »