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Many of you may know of Hut’s story, but his life was forever changed in August of 1991 when a motorcycle accident left his left leg permanently damaged. The next 30 years were an endless battle of rehabilitation attempts to restore his life to a point where he could hopefully reach some form of contentment.
For those of you that do not know Hut, there is still a chance that he indirectly was a part of your life. Hut was the primary supplier of custom made tattoo needles for most of the tattoo artists in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas from the mid-90s through the early 2000s. So if you got tattooed during this timeframe, Hut probably soldered the needles together that were used to create your artwork. The tattoo community became like a family to Hut while he was running Hut’s Needle Shack. He developed many great friendships during this time that he still values to this day.
After the accident, early attempts were made to restore Hut’s mobility using the best procedures that existed at that time. This involved a full knee replacement, which later caused infections and needed to be removed. This brought the 2nd knee replacement that also met the same fate. At this point, Hut did not have sufficient usable bone left to attempt the 3rd replacement. This forced him over to the option of fusing the knee, immobilizing the joint. This procedure involved placing a metal rod to hold the joint in place as the bones grew together. To make up for the area of lost bone, Hut had to have custom shoes made with an extended sole that he often referred to as the “10 lb. shoe.” This worked, but once again a few years later that metal caused an infection and had to be removed. They were able to pull the metal rod out and the bone held enough for Hut to be able to live a while without other leg issues. During this time, Hut had other issues with a shattered elbow from a fall, hip issues due to the fused leg and several hernia operations. This is only a very brief synopsis of all the pain and suffering, the lengthy hospital stays and all the mental anguish that accompanies such physical distress.
It was during these 45+ surgeries that Hut took notice of the difference between a good Registered Nurse and a bad one. This inspired Hut to strive to get off of disability (the people in that office could not believe that someone actually wanted that) in order to better his own life and do the best he could to help others. Hut went back to school and was able to complete all of the grueling tasks and courses needed to become an RN. He did this despite constant discouragement from people along the way telling him he could not do it. Hut proved them all wrong! Things were finally looking up for Hut and he was able to make a difference for people who needed it. Especially the guy that Hut was suffocating because he was standing on his air hose with the 10 lb. shoe! He saved that guy’s life that very day… as soon as he left the room!
Hut began working towards his lifelong dream of buying a house remotely nestled in the country. After several attempts fell through, one even being sold out from under him, Hut was finally able find the house he was looking for and this time the deal went through. After closing, Hut began to move into his new house.
Only 10 days after moving into his new home, Hut did the most redneck thing he could do, he tripped over a gun case and fell while he was attempting to take a picture of a bear eating out of his new corn feeder. This is where Hut’s story should’ve ended since this broke his bad leg in different place. However, Hut, being too hard headed to realize this is where a normal person would have just died, could hear his new Klipsch speakers in the background. They sounded great! So, with a bear still lurking nearby, no landline or cell service, Hut knew he had no choice but to crawl to his truck and drive to the hospital. This event landed Hut back in a fixator.
This rehabilitation effort took longer than expected. During this time Hut’s long term disability ran out and the hospital he was working for filled his position. This left Hut without a source of income. Hut stayed positive because he knew once this fixator came off, he could find another nursing position. This is when Hut was given even more bad news. The break did not heal correctly and under further investigation, doctors could not predict if it ever would. This forced Hut to make the hardest decision yet. He had been considering it for years, but had been attempting to avoid this from the beginning. After much research and correspondence with an amputee community, Hut decided to have an Above-the-Knee Leg Amputation. This took place on April 6th 2021. Hut is now looking at 3 or more months of healing before he can even get his prosthetic leg. From there the learning curve is 9 to 12 months. Once Hut gets back to nursing, he will be an inspiration for those facing similar challenges. Until then, let’s all pull together and help Hut keep his new home! It is the only way we can get more boring ass pictures of what he is grilling on his back porch and all those glorious deer shit photos!
~ Lurch
For those of you that do not know Hut, there is still a chance that he indirectly was a part of your life. Hut was the primary supplier of custom made tattoo needles for most of the tattoo artists in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas from the mid-90s through the early 2000s. So if you got tattooed during this timeframe, Hut probably soldered the needles together that were used to create your artwork. The tattoo community became like a family to Hut while he was running Hut’s Needle Shack. He developed many great friendships during this time that he still values to this day.
After the accident, early attempts were made to restore Hut’s mobility using the best procedures that existed at that time. This involved a full knee replacement, which later caused infections and needed to be removed. This brought the 2nd knee replacement that also met the same fate. At this point, Hut did not have sufficient usable bone left to attempt the 3rd replacement. This forced him over to the option of fusing the knee, immobilizing the joint. This procedure involved placing a metal rod to hold the joint in place as the bones grew together. To make up for the area of lost bone, Hut had to have custom shoes made with an extended sole that he often referred to as the “10 lb. shoe.” This worked, but once again a few years later that metal caused an infection and had to be removed. They were able to pull the metal rod out and the bone held enough for Hut to be able to live a while without other leg issues. During this time, Hut had other issues with a shattered elbow from a fall, hip issues due to the fused leg and several hernia operations. This is only a very brief synopsis of all the pain and suffering, the lengthy hospital stays and all the mental anguish that accompanies such physical distress.
It was during these 45+ surgeries that Hut took notice of the difference between a good Registered Nurse and a bad one. This inspired Hut to strive to get off of disability (the people in that office could not believe that someone actually wanted that) in order to better his own life and do the best he could to help others. Hut went back to school and was able to complete all of the grueling tasks and courses needed to become an RN. He did this despite constant discouragement from people along the way telling him he could not do it. Hut proved them all wrong! Things were finally looking up for Hut and he was able to make a difference for people who needed it. Especially the guy that Hut was suffocating because he was standing on his air hose with the 10 lb. shoe! He saved that guy’s life that very day… as soon as he left the room!
Hut began working towards his lifelong dream of buying a house remotely nestled in the country. After several attempts fell through, one even being sold out from under him, Hut was finally able find the house he was looking for and this time the deal went through. After closing, Hut began to move into his new house.
Only 10 days after moving into his new home, Hut did the most redneck thing he could do, he tripped over a gun case and fell while he was attempting to take a picture of a bear eating out of his new corn feeder. This is where Hut’s story should’ve ended since this broke his bad leg in different place. However, Hut, being too hard headed to realize this is where a normal person would have just died, could hear his new Klipsch speakers in the background. They sounded great! So, with a bear still lurking nearby, no landline or cell service, Hut knew he had no choice but to crawl to his truck and drive to the hospital. This event landed Hut back in a fixator.
This rehabilitation effort took longer than expected. During this time Hut’s long term disability ran out and the hospital he was working for filled his position. This left Hut without a source of income. Hut stayed positive because he knew once this fixator came off, he could find another nursing position. This is when Hut was given even more bad news. The break did not heal correctly and under further investigation, doctors could not predict if it ever would. This forced Hut to make the hardest decision yet. He had been considering it for years, but had been attempting to avoid this from the beginning. After much research and correspondence with an amputee community, Hut decided to have an Above-the-Knee Leg Amputation. This took place on April 6th 2021. Hut is now looking at 3 or more months of healing before he can even get his prosthetic leg. From there the learning curve is 9 to 12 months. Once Hut gets back to nursing, he will be an inspiration for those facing similar challenges. Until then, let’s all pull together and help Hut keep his new home! It is the only way we can get more boring ass pictures of what he is grilling on his back porch and all those glorious deer shit photos!
~ Lurch
Organizer and beneficiary
Joel Bonde
Beneficiary