A man who lost his legs three years ago in a horrific motorcycle accident reunited with one of the surgeons who saved his life.
"I want to thank you for being there, for checking up on me so much, making sure I was okay, giving me a book so I could be able to read it, and just knowing that I can overcome the odds I just need to be able to do it, so thank you," said Aaron Beaugard, who had to overcome tremendous odds after the accident that took his legs in 2015. "As soon as I popped on top of the sidewalk, my helmet came off and I had dreads back then, so thank God for those dreads because I was still traveling for multiple yards before I actually hit the sign that cut off my legs right then and there."
Dr. Antonio Webb, an orthopaedic surgeon with University Hospital, still remembers the first time he saw Beaugard in the hospital.
"I'll never forget the image that I saw, a patient on the bed, he didn't have any legs. He had two tourniquets around his legs, and his legs were in the bag in the corner," Dr. Webb recalled.
Beaugard had life-saving surgery that night, and says that, for a while, things were pretty dark.
"I cried a lot, just because I was that football star,” he said. “So many emotions, a lot of depression, because I was that fast running back. I had scholarships and was doing semi-pro at the time."
But not long after, a turning point came when he saw his nurse's son walk into his room with his own prosthetic legs.
"That gave me hope, that made me smile. Because you know what, I can do this," Beaugard said.
"Some people just don't have it in themselves to keep going, but you are a fighter,” Dr. Webb told Beaugard. “I saw that in you."
And now he gets around and some, either with his set of prosthetic legs or without, by using his incredible upper body strength to exercise and even pull his car.
“’Let me just try to pull my Mercedes-Benz,’” Beaugard can remember thinking. “It's almost 4000 pounds, but I did it!"
But in the end, it’s his positive attitude and desire to help others that keeps him moving forward. Beaugard said,
"That's how I get my fuel, by seeing other people smile, seeing them get motivated by how I'm changing my life," Beaugard said.
"Just seeing his recovery process, and he wants to inspire a lot of people, and seeing how he's able to do that is impressive after his accident," Dr. Webb added.