Homeless Veteran "Army Strong, Saved His Own Foot!

A Homeless Veteran’s Struggle to Survive on the Streets of Sacramento
FOX 40 News
BY KARMA DICKERSON
JANUARY 5, 2017

SACRAMENTO -- He told doctors he operated on himself on the streets of Sacramento.

This homeless veteran's struggle to survive is amazing and heartbreaking. For years, he was on his own, but two homeless programs came together and helped save his life.

Army Strong, to Greg Metcalf, it’s not just a recruiting slogan.

“I did what I had to do when it was time for me to do it ,” said Metcalf.

It’s the frame of mind that led him to self-treat a life-threatening wound while living on the street rather than let a doctor amputate his foot.

According to what Metcalf later told Veteran Administration doctors, in 2012 he developed gangrene in his left foot from exposure to the cold. When emergency room doctors told him they’d need to take his foot, Greg left the hospital.

“Then took himself behind a dumpster, sterilized a pocket knife with a lit flame and went about using his knowledge he got from his military training about how to treat wounds," said Doctor Michael Yanuck.

Two years later Greg told his story to Doctor Yanuck with the VA’s Homeless outreach program -- Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team.
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