“By adapting I do things differently.”

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Sometimes a sense of humor and a positive attitude can be the best medicine, especially when you realize there’s no way to make up a story like this. Captain Stefanie Faull’s terrible fall on June 30, 2020 changed her life forever. “I was in physical therapy school and ironically it happened the night before our foot and ankle exam,” she laughed.

It’s no joke how Captain Faull ended up at the Joint Base San Antonio Soldier Recovery Unit. “I went to SRU with an elective amputation of my right leg below the knee. It was the result of a freak accident that dislocated my foot and broke several bones. I had a few surgeries, but it didn’t get me back to where I wanted to be in my life.

Faull said the limb salvage phase she was in for the first few years wasn’t working, and she knew she had to make a difficult decision. She started calculating possible problems, like could she go out to dinner? Daily chores? What about sports, which were extremely important to her? “I had problems with cycling and swimming, and all I could do was row. It looked more like a one-legged line. However, in the first two years I covered more than 2 million meters,” she says confidently.

She said her parents were supportive and her mother came to stay with her for several months to help. “My mother had to admit that after my amputation I looked like myself again. Before my amputation, I struggled mentally for a few years. My mother wanted to see me as my old self again. It’s such a strange concept, but I always tell people that if you get to a point where you’re seriously considering it, it’s probably not an elective amputation for that person. It is a necessity.”

She emphasizes that she did not make this decision lightly. Her other major concern was the future of her career as a physical therapist in the military. She made it clear to her support team at SRU and at the Center for the Intrepid that she wanted to return to work. “I had an incredible prosthetist at the Center for the Intrepid, John Ferguson. He just passed away recently, but he was an incredible support. He was able to help me through physical therapy school, and last August it was a month of threes for me: promotion, graduation, and amputation!

Faull returns to duty and is about to head to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for her next assignment as an Army physical therapist. “I think a lot of people, especially amputees, find it strange that I want to stay in the military. Well, I think the best place to be as a PT and as an amputee is the military – it makes sense to me to be able to treat patients. Of course it’s a shame to only have one and two-thirds of a leg, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your life.”

She says she has come to appreciate a patient’s entire day in physical therapy and will focus on treating the whole soldier and not just the biomechanics or structural limitations. “As PTs, we see someone for therapy for an hour a day. We don’t get to see them for the other 23 hours of the day when they might be in pain, so I can really relate to that with my situation right now.

Grateful for her time with the SRU, Faull says she is doing very well today and wants to be an example of why the SRU is there for every soldier in need. She encourages embracing the SRU as the best way to succeed. “You get out what you put in. It’s easy to withdraw when you’re feeling down, but try to seek help within the SRU as the staff and cadre are there to help you in any way they can. Gather your social support network and be open and honest with them. There are people who will be there for you in difficult times.”

She is proud of her progress and moves forward with a positive attitude and a bit of humor as she looks ahead to however long her career in the military lasts. “If I’m going to leave the military, I’m going to do it on my terms, not because my foot didn’t want to cooperate with me.”