Living Legacy

摘要

DADE CITY, Ha. Achild of the Great Depression, R.J. Nathe, 84, has been in logging, one way or another, for well over 60 years—clos- er to 70, truth be told. He ran a chain saw five days a week for, in all, 34 (and a half) years, he says. The vast majority of his chain sawing days took place prior to January 15, 1986. That was the day when a tree fell on Nathe, crushing his leg. He stayed in the hospital for 61 days; he should have stayed longer, he now admits: "I came home too soon." He underwent 10 major surgeries to rebuild his leg with bone from his hip and skin and muscle grafts from both legs. "The doctor said, 'You can thank the wars we've had for me being able to do this,'" R.J. recalls. The procedure had been pioneered by field medics finding ways to treat the damaged limbs of wounded soldiers.