CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Spend five minutes with Bo Jones and chances are he will tell how much he loves to hunt with a big smile on his face.
The Texas-loving, adventure-seeking veteran guides hunts for 'Hell or Highwater,' which takes people with disabilities on hunting and fishing expeditions.
"Your only limitation is your mind," said Jones, who lost his legs after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan back in 2012 while serving for the U.S. Army.
"I laugh, I joke about my injury," said Jones.
He keeps it light with the staff at Carolinas Medical Center.
"Somebody has got to be really good with Photoshop if they're going to get me walking down the hall," chuckled Jones.
The double amputee has had more than 100 surgeries. What he lacks in physical mobility, he makes up for with positivity.
“I’m not disabled, I’m just differently abled.”
Bo has found purpose in his work, welding wheelchairs and also in volunteering his time to guide hunts.
“It’s my therapy. I’ve dealt with a lot of demons, I’ve dealt with drug addiction to opiates and I’ve got two years clean,” he said.
Helping others is the motor to his wheels, but the hunts came to a halt when toxins from the IED that took his legs spread an infection that threatened his left arm.
“There were many doctors who had told me that we were just going to have to cut it off, and luckily, there’s a surgeon out there that goes, 'We’re not going to cut it off going to do everything possible to save it.'”
Dr. Joseph Hsu specializes in trauma after serving in the army. He’s the only doctor in the country who could perform the surgery Bo needed.
“Good or bad, throughout the process of the war, actually had a tremendous amount of experience with things like this, so from that perspective, I think that we can get Bo back on track,” said Hsu, who’s been at CMC since 2013.
With a special brace, Bo is back guiding hunts, encouraging veterans and fulfilling his newfound purpose.
“I’m helping them, what they don’t realize is they are helping me,” he said.
The road to recovery is long, but Dr. Hsu is confident Bo can keep the arm he so desperately needs.