The surgeon performs limb-sparing surgery to save the mentor’s leg

BOYNTON BEACH, FL. — A mixture of strength and determination drives Dr. Jesus Jimenez on his road to recovery.

The long two-year journey is still not over after a serious car accident in South Carolina fractured much of his lower left leg.

Jimenez is a vascular surgeon at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach.

As a vascular surgeon, Jimenez frequently treats patients with diabetes or peripheral vascular disease or other conditions that can lead to foot or leg amputations.

However, in September 2020, Jimenez was told he could face amputation himself.

“I save lives and help people keep their legs,” he said. “It was pretty intense to find myself in this role reversal, being in an emergency room and I’m the patient.”

After the first emergency surgery in Charleston, Jimenez called longtime colleague and friend Dr. Julio Ortiz. Ortiz is the chief of foot and ankle surgery at Bethesda Hospital.

“Dr. Jimenez has always been a mentor in many ways and almost like a big brother,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz has taken on the critical task of performing a series of limb-sparing surgeries on Jimenez.

“Studies show that within five years, if someone loses a limb due to the excessive strain on their heart, there is a high risk of death,” Ortiz said. “If we can save the limb, we can often save her life.”

Jimenez remains optimistic despite the long recovery that lies ahead.

“Eight surgeries and it looks like I’ll need two more to be done at Bethesda,” Jimenez said.

The next surgery for Jimenez will most likely be a total ankle replacement, which involves replacing a damaged part of the ankle with a joint replacement implant.