🌟 How I Lost My Entire Right Leg: Part 1 🌟 I'm a liiitle late on sharing this...but really ever-

Overview

Alicia Blake, an Air Force photojournalist, lost her right leg in a vehicle crash while deployed to Guam in February 2023. She had traveled to Tinian Island to document a combat search-and-rescue exercise.

Blake says a TACP officer identified as Houston offered her a ride to the beach in a tactical vehicle, despite having no training or certification to drive it. The vehicle had no passenger-side door, and Blake could not find or fasten a seat belt. As Houston drove along an overgrown road dating from World War II, she asked him to slow down, but says he did not.

The crash

Investigators later reported that Houston lost control after about three minutes of driving. The vehicle overturned, throwing Blake out before running over her. She suffered catastrophic crush injuries, and Houston was also injured; he is now paralyzed below the waist.

A local resident found them, and responders arranged for Blake to be flown to Guam for emergency treatment.

Injuries and recovery

Blake underwent an initial 15-hour operation and later had more than 50 surgeries. Severe damage cut off the blood supply to most of her small intestine, which surgeons removed. Her right leg was first amputated above the knee, but spreading tissue damage eventually required a hip disarticulation, removing the leg through the hip joint.

Doctors feared they might also need to amputate her left leg because its blood flow was compromised. They restored circulation using a cow artery graft. A fasciotomy helped save the leg, though nerve damage caused “drop foot”; Blake now uses an ankle-foot orthotic.

Her other injuries included a shattered pelvis, a ruptured bladder, uterine injuries, and kidney and liver failure requiring dialysis. She spent six months in hospitals in Guam, Hawaii, California, and Washington, including three months in intensive care.

Aftermath

Blake describes experiencing significant grief after the accident and expresses gratitude to the people who treated and helped her. Although she believes the crash could have been prevented, she focuses on being grateful to have survived and retained mobility in her left leg.

People mentioned

• Presenter: Alicia Blake
• Other people: Houston, Joel, and members of the rescue and medical teams.