Lucas Wildcat says he is determined to walk again after undergoing amputations of both legs in the last three years.
The citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Tahlequah, Oklahoma, had his right knee amputated above the knee in 2020 and his left leg amputated, also above the knee, 18 months later. It was the result of complications of diabetes.
Cherokee Phoenix told the story of Wildcat, 46, in a March 8 story written by Chad Hunter.
“I’ve got my mind set,” Lucas said. “I’m going to walk again.”
He will do so with help from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Wayman Tisdale Foundation. Tisdale was an All-American basketball player at the University of Oklahoma who played professionally, and he also was a bass guitarist who once held the No. 1 place on Billboard’s chart for contemporary jazz. He died in 2009.
The foundation helps to find leading-edge prosthetic care for people with financial need.
“I have to start all over again like a small child would,” Lucas said, “but I’ve got my mind set on walking again. That’s what I want.”
He also plans to tell his story to help others prevent diabetes.
“It’s a second chance at life for me,” he said. “There’s a purpose for me being here, and I’m fulfilling it.”