It all started the beginning October of 2003. My mom and I discovered a dry spot at the end of my big toe on my left foot. We didn?t think anything of it. I have had dry skin there numerous times. However, by November the dry skin was very deep and white. That should have been my hint something was wrong. Instead I passed it off as just needing to always keep it wrapped. Then by the middle of November it started looking better so my mom and I thought of it as a good sign. Little did we now it was just the beginning. December 23 2003 came, my mom went to doctor my toe and get ready cause we was suppose to have lunch with my step aunt and uncle. But when she toke the old bandage off. The toe was white black and skin was coming off. Just barely touching it made it come off more. There fore my mom called my step aunt and canceled lunch. After that, she doctored my toe, got my wheel chair and rushed me to the emergency room. They toke blood, toke my temperature. Two hours later they checked me into the hospital. They toke x-rays right away. Then a few hours later I had found out that yes the toe was for sure infected. I ended up spending Christmas there. Everything seemed ok so far. Except they had not done the bone scan yet. My mom and I were not pleased needless to say. It was December 26, 2003 and the nurse finally told me that sugar only makes the infection spread faster. All this time they knew I was eating candy and drinking pop. Yet, they wait until I have been there three days to tell me the danger of doing it. Mom then decided that if by that Tuesday they have not yet done the bone scan then she was going to take me to another hospital. Lucky that Tuesday they did the bone scan and found out that it did reach the bone. The doctor came in to give me the news. He had a tear in his eyes as he said that he had to take the whole toe. He tells us that the surgery would be at 9:00am tomorrow. I am not allowed to have anything to eat or drink after midnight. My mom got to the hospital buy 7:00am. Then at 8:00am they came to get me ready and take me where I need to go. Finally by 9:30 am, 30 minutes later then he had said. They wheel me in the operating room. Then I wake up in the recovery room. After that they take me to my room. That was on December 30, 2003. On January 3, 2004 I was able to go home. Still on IV medications. Three times a day every eight hours. Over a week passes before my IV tries to stop working. So, they change it. It was going great until two days later it had bent and needed to be changed. It toke poking me twice before it worked. It lasted the rest three days. On January 16, 2004 at 11:00am the medications finished and the IV came out. I was finally able to get on my crutches and try to walk a few steps. It went great, no difference so far. But I still have a long road to recovery, but it looks good. But the stay at the hospital without going crazy would not be possible if it were not for my second family (people for disabilities-R-us chat room) calling me almost every night.