Double amputee – I thank God I am alive, even if it means having no feet

Johan Mulder chooses to remain positive despite the battle that lies ahead. “I thank God I am alive, even if it means having no feet,” he said from his bed in the Far East Hospital in Springs.

This 34-year-old boilermaker lost both legs in a freak accident on March 1. When disaster struck, Mulder was alone in the field in the late afternoon, cutting grass for bales on his small holding in Modder East Orchards.

“I got snagged by a tree branch while cutting around the trunk. Despite holding on for dear life, I was pulled down in between the tractor’s front and rear wheels.”

Mulder remembers thinking he was about to die, “I tried to wriggle away, but the tractor’s rear wheel pinned me down.”

The tractor was still running, causing the rear wheel to move over his lower abdomen. Within a flash, the slasher ripped Mulder’s calves to shreds.

“The pain was unbearable. I lay there under the tree for what seemed like 10 minutes, moving in and out of consciousness,” Mulder told the Streeknews.

Mulder’s brother, Ettienne van Heerden, and a friend and work colleague, Martin Brooks, eventually found him and rushed him to the Bernice Samuel Hospital in Delmas.

According to Mulder’s family, the hospital’s service was horrific, beginning with a security guard refusing to let the men drive up to the emergency entrance.

“Ettienne said the guard wanted Johan to walk in,” exclaimed Mulder’s wife, Chantelle.

She could hardly believe what she saw when she arrived at the hospital.

“When Ettienne called to say Johan was injured, I thought it unreal. I was aghast to see Johan on his stomach, legs bleeding onto a blue spread.”

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Chantelle said the emergency unit was dealing with motor accident patients and her husband was considered “injured but not critical”.

Calls to transfer Mulder to Witbank Hospital were made but no beds were available.

“That is when we called Dawie Keyser from Saints Emergency Services. He jumped in and helped us get Johan to the Far East Rand Hospital,” said Chantelle.

The trauma kicked in for Chantelle when Keyser prepared Mulder for transport in his ambulance.

“That was when I realised the extent of Johan’s injuries. His lower limbs were hanging on by threads of skin.”

According to Keyser, Mulder was bleeding out and needed urgent treatment before sepsis set in.

“Johan could still feel his toes, and there was still a pulse in one of the legs, so I tried to save them by placing them in splints before rushing him to Springs.”

Despite their best efforts, doctors could not save his legs, amputating both below the knees. Mulder has had multiple surgeries to clean the wounds and prevent infection.

“The doctor wants to ensure all the dirt is removed to avoid sepsis. Once that is sorted, they will close the stumps,” explains Mulder.

Though the road to recovery will be long, Mulder remains determined and optimistic.

“I am young. I have a family. I have support from my work and friends. This is just a setback, not the end of the world.”

His faith and resilience keep him going, along with Chantelle and their 14-year-old son, Heinrecht’s, support.

The couple thanked Keyser and the medical staff at the hospital for their care and dedication. They are particularly grateful to Mulder’s employer, Theuns and Karin Brooks of Tekbro Engineering, for their support and the hours spent next to his hospital bed daily.

“We are incredibly thankful to everyone who helped. I might not have made it without them,” says Mulder.

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