Hospital: PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Kyle
Diagnosis: Amputation; motor vehicle incident
While in his tow truck on January 3, 2023, Gabriel Angeles was in a serious motor vehicle accident that left his right foot severely damaged all the way up to his ankle and caused an incision on his left knee and a pelvic injury. His right foot was amputated, and he was bedbound for two and a half months, as he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg.
Mr. Angeles came to PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Kyle to begin his recovery after the trauma of his accident and becoming an amputee. “All my life I’ve been healthy…Being an amputee has been difficult,” he said. He wasn’t used to needing help to care for himself or being immobile. Mr. Angeles credits PAM Health for helping to motivate him through this major life adjustment, starting with helping him get moving around in bed after being stuck on his back for so long. He eventually progressed to using a wheelchair while inpatient with us and then participated in about two months of outpatient therapy.
On his birthday, May 17, 2023, Mr. Angeles received his first prosthesis, a major milestone in his recovery journey. He returned to PAM Health for outpatient prosthetic training. Thanks to his prosthesis and our expert care and therapy, Mr. Angeles began to rebuild his confidence and independence. “I can live life as normal,” he said. He particularly appreciated his therapist Merly Zulaica, PTA, whose own father was an amputee and could relate to the personal struggles Mr. Angeles was facing.
Mr. Angeles aims to return to work in 2024. He wants to pay back all the people who has supported him and his family this past year. To anyone else in similar circumstances as him, Mr. Angeles says to “keep faith” and embrace support because that will keep you motivated toward recovery. We’re so proud of Mr. Angeles’s hard work and wish him all the best!
