Getting Back on His Feet — and the Water — After Losing His Leg

John Dinger has always found his greatest joy on the water. Originally from Long Island, New York, the former teacher of emergency vehicle technicians spent his life exploring the region’s rivers and coastlines in his kayak. When he relocated to South Florida years later, he discovered a paradise tailored to his passion.

“Florida is water world,” says Mr. Dinger, 85. “You can kayak 12 months out of the year as much as you want. I really love that.”

Mr. Dinger maintained an active lifestyle into his 80s, taking his kayak out on the water three days a week. However, a series of chronic health issues recently interrupted his routine, leading to a life-altering medical emergency and a comprehensive journey of rehabilitation and recovery.

(Watch now:  John Dinger, an 85-year-old Boca Raton retiree, loved nothing more than getting out on the water in his kayak — something he did several days a week until he developed severe circulatory issues and eventually had to have his left leg amputated. See how Cornell Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine helped get him back on his feet with the shared goal of eventually getting him back on the water again. Video by Eduardo Morales, SlickVid Productions.)

Facing a Complex Medical Challenge

Mr. Dinger first noticed poor circulation and pain in his left leg in 2018. A lifetime of heavy smoking likely was the contributing cause of what was diagnosed as atherosclerosis, a condition where arteries become narrowed and hardened due to the buildup of plaque along their inner walls.

On his doctor’s orders, he quit smoking “cold turkey” but as Mr. Dinger says, “after 60 years of heavy smoking, the damage was already done.”

W. Anthony Lee, M.D., chief of vascular surgery with Lynn Heart and Vascular Institute, a part of Baptist Health, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, placed a stent in the artery to improve blood flow. The stent worked for several years but when that, too, became blocked, Dr. Lee performed a peripheral arterial bypass, which provided additional relief for a few more years.

Ultimately, however, even the bypass couldn’t halt the progress of his disease. On July 5, 2025, Mr. Dinger arrived at Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s emergency department with extreme pain in his leg, which was already turning blue from lack of circulation. Dr. Lee determined that saving the leg was no longer possible and he later performed an above-the-knee amputation.

“He did a brilliant job. Of course, I hated to lose a leg but the outcome was great,” says Mr. Dinger. “The pain was minimal. And I haven’t had any phantom pains.”

Finding the Right Rehabilitation Hospital

While the surgery itself was a success with minimal pain, Mr. Dinger’s medical challenges were far from over. After recovering in the hospital for three weeks, he would need four weeks of intensive therapy at an inpatient rehabilitation facility. His son came down from Washington, D.C. and visited four or five different rehabilitation hospitals in the area. One stood out above all the others.

“He came back to me and said, ‘There’s really only one choice. You’ve got to go to Cornell — it’s the best that I’ve seen,” Mr. Dinger recalls. The Cornell Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine is located in Boynton Beach at Bethesda Hospital East, a part of Baptist Health.

Comprehensive Care at Cornell

“John was facing far more than the amputation alone,” one member of his care team explains. “During his recovery, he also struggled with aspiration, which caused food and liquids to enter his lungs when he swallowed. That complication led to pneumonia while he was still healing in the hospital after surgery.”

According to Keith Foster, M.D., chief medical officer at Bethesda Hospital, the team at the Cornell Institute focuses on holistic, interdisciplinary rehabilitation.

“We treat the entire person rather than focusing solely on a single injury or condition,” he says.

For Mr. Dinger, this meant addressing his physical recovery from the amputation alongside his respiratory and swallowing complications.

Supporting Every Aspect of His Recovery

The rehabilitation process demanded intense dedication. Patients at the all-private-room hospital participate in rigorous daily schedules designed to rebuild their strength, coordination and independence.

“It was at least three times a day of therapy,” Mr. Dinger recalls. “That was the best thing about Cornell, because other places don’t do that kind of thing. They don’t have that kind of regimen or enough people that they can even do it that much — and I needed it that much.”

The interdisciplinary team at the Cornell Institute included physiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, rehab nurses, dietitians and case managers. They collaborated to ensure Mr. Dinger received tailored support for every aspect of his recovery.

“When he came here, the team worked on his swallowing with speech therapy,” Dr. Foster says. “They helped build his endurance, and then worked on getting him into an upright position and being able to do things on his own.”

Pushing Boundaries and Building Strength

The Cornell Institute staff meticulously documented Mr. Dinger’s progress, adjusting his tailored care plan daily to ensure he was constantly moving forward.

“They kept track of exactly what I was doing every day, and they wrote down everything that I was doing,” Mr. Dinger says. “And of course they would push me further and further and further as I was going along.”

Throughout the sometimes-grueling therapy sessions, the compassion of the Institute’s interdisciplinary staff provided crucial motivation. Mr. Dinger notes that the nurses and therapists offered a level of patience that made the difficult days manageable. Their support helped him build the confidence necessary to transition from a walker to a cane —a major milestone in his mobility journey.

“They have compassion and that means a tremendous amount,” Mr. Dinger says. “It pulls you through.”

Setting His Sights on the Water

At the Cornell Institute, discharge from inpatient care represents a new beginning rather than an endpoint. The ultimate objective is community reintegration, allowing patients to return to the activities that give their lives meaning.

“Patients are discharged when they’re ready to continue building strength on their own — returning to the activities they enjoy and getting back to the life they love,” Dr. Foster says.

For Mr. Dinger, the goal remains clear: he intends to return to the Florida waters that bring him so much happiness. But he knows that before he can step back in his kayak, he first needs to adjust to life on land with his new prosthetic leg.

Mr. Dinger looks forward to his future with optimism and is grateful for the comprehensive care and continuous support he received at the Cornell Institute.

“I have no reservations about recommending Cornell,” Mr. Dinger says. “It’s just super. They’ve got the team, they’ve got the doctors, they’ve got the nurses. It’s just a great place to be.”

Care Across South Florida

In addition to the Cornell Institute, a new Baptist Health Rehabilitation Hospital is on the rise further south. The new freestanding hospital, located across from Baptist Health South Miami Hospital, is a joint venture with Lifepoint Rehabilitation, an operating division of Lifepoint Health and a national leader in inpatient rehabilitation services. The new hospital will expand access to specialized rehabilitation care in South Florida.

Baptist Health has provided inpatient rehabilitation care for more than 50 years. Currently, these services in Miami-Dade County are based at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital, which offers 23 private rooms for patients recovering from a variety of conditions.

Click here to learn more about the Cornell Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at Bethesda Hospital East, part of Baptist Health.