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When you meet Vernice Myers, one of the first things that stands out is her spunky, tenacious personality. Considered a determined woman, life has thrown her many curve balls and challenges and she has risen to meet each and every one. During her last appointment in the office, she shared her story.
Vernice's journey began 14 years ago when she went in for surgery on her leg. It was supposed to be a simple procedure, but when she was in recovery, the nurse told her she had contracted MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a strain of staph infection that has developed a resistance to antibiotics.
Vernice really didn't know a whole lot about MRSA at the time, but it was that infection that ended up causing her to lose her leg. She went through 14 years of pain and complications, 9 surgeries, and countless setbacks.
She chose to keep a positive attitude and a singular focus, "Do not give up!!" She told herself this over and over. No matter what happened, she promised herself she would not give up.
"My family helped me keep a positive attitude, especially my grand kids. They would encourage me when I was doing my physical therapy. They would tell me, 'You can do it!'"
Vernice learned a lot of lessons along the way. She learned that she needed to be her own advocate, and no matter what other people said, she refused to give up.
"People can be cruel sometimes, but you have to learn to overlook that. You have to stay positive, keep fighting, keep pushing, and you will make it."
Getting a prosthesis was not easy for Vernice. She went through several years thinking that she would not be able to get one.
"I was told by other companies that I was too old and too fat to get a leg [prosthesis], but then my therapist at the nursing home told me about Tim and Optimus.
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Medicare, through its contractors, has proposed new coverage, coding, and clinical care guidelines that would have a profoundly negative impact on amputees across the United States.
