Here's the background. In October of 2011, I was hospitalized for a simple left hip replacement, expecting to be home in a couple of days. The unexpected happened in surgery and I awoke in recovery room in agony. It felt my left leg was on fire and I couldn't bear the slightest touch. The doctors were unable to find the cause until seven day's later. The tests then determined that I had muscle compartment syndrome. Muscle compartment happened because my circulation was compromised in surgery. Doctors usually see this when a motorcycle falls on a rider's leg after an accident. Because
this went undetected for a whole week, the muscle in the front of the left leg had died. The doctors had to remove the muscle in front of the leg below the knee to the top of my foot. This was the first of more 20 surgeries and a hospital stay of six months. After many specialists made heroic efforts to save the leg, including transplanting abdominal muscle to the leg for circulation, in mid October the leg got bone infection and had to be amputated about four inches above the knee.
It was my left leg! I'd played pedal steel guitar since I was a teenager and couldn't image not playing again. My pedal steel friends really came to my rescue. While in rehab, Jim Palenscar of North County Pedal Steel in Oceanside, California, called to offer me a single neck steel that had the pedals arranged to play with the right foot and right knee. Just what I needed! He sent it to me. I learned the basics of using the right foot, instead of the left, but I missed not being able to mess around on the C6th. Frank Carter of Infinity agreed to take on the task of building a D10 with seven foot pedals and six knee levers to be played with my right foot and leg. It also has three knee levers on the left leg
He did an incredible job. I had the fun of playing to our church group during the Christmas holidays.
THANKS, FRIENDS. YOU MADE IT POSSIBLE!!
Frank and Fran are the best. Glad you can continue playing
