DENVER (KDVR) — Edward Martin Lee sits alone in his room, unable to walk down the hall to the living room of his home. Lee’s prosthetic leg no longer fits, causing him severe pain.
“Right now it’s about 4 to 5 inches bigger than my stump is now. When it (doesn’t) fit, it irritates the bottom of it, and I get like cuts and bruises,” he said.
Lee told FOX31 he is grateful for the care of his mother, Carol, who makes sure he has everything he needs.
“He kept me from going insane after I lost his dad,” she said, tearfully, adding that she wishes she could do more for her son.
“I’m sorry, I try to do everything to help him out, but I can only do so much,” she said.
Lee lost his leg after an accident in 2003. He said his insurance company paid for two fittings, but now that he needs a third, he will have to pay the bill himself.
“Third time, you got to pay the full amount: $15,000. I said, well, I can’t afford that, and they go well that’s the only way you’re going to get fitted,” Lee said.
Unable to afford prosthetic, man is immobile
Three months ago, when the prosthetic no longer provided the proper support for Lee, his family had to call in firefighters to assist him.
“Five firemen went in there, they grabbed the medical blanket I have, grabbed it, put him in that, and he’s been in there ever since,” Carol Lee said.
Lee said the hardest thing about being immobile is not being able to join his family in the living room for gatherings.
“They still come in and visit me, but it’s still not the same,” he said.
Carol Lee told the Problem Solvers that seeing her son limited to such a small area breaks her heart.
“Everybody always tells me to put him in a nursing home. I can’t do that, that’s my child. I can’t do that to him,” she said.
The Problem Solvers reached out to Humana insurance for a statement and are still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, FOX31 is searching for a medical supply provider that can refit Lee’s prosthetic.