Cap's Extreme Makeover

The Left Foot, as it has been called, has been on many farewell adventures this summer. It took its last camping trip to Disney’s Fort Wilderness and spent a day at Universal Orlando. It had its final birthday outing. It went to the beach for one more sand selfie. It went out for a round of golf.

James Capeletti and his wife, Leah, even held a funeral for The Left Foot on Monday morning, just before the Winter Garden police sergeant was taken into surgery to have his left leg amputated at the calf.

Humor has helped the Lake County resident prepare for the life-altering surgery, which he hopes will bring an end to the pain he has endured for 11 years.

A LIFE-CHANGING DAY

It was 1 p.m. Easter Sunday 2006 when Capeletti, then a motorcycle officer with the Winter Garden Police Department, was hit head-on by a drunk driver. The motorcycle was demolished, and Capeletti had numerous broken bones, the worst damage occurring to his left foot. Capeletti never completely healed from the severe injuries.

After six months of rehabilitation, he was back on the job — but not on a motorcycle. He was still a traffic officer and handled all the crashes, just like the motorcycle officers — but from a squad car.

Capeletti became a detective, then an assistant squad leader and was promoted to sergeant in 2009.

The 15-year veteran of the department said he has dealt with the pain in his left foot long enough and is ready for a better quality of life.

“I just grin and bear it (the pain),” he said. “I just wake up and deal with it. I camouflaged it. I've been camouflaging it for years.”

Four years after the crash, Capeletti had arthritis in his left ankle and it was auto-fusing itself, he said. So he had fusion surgery in an effort to alleviate the pain.

“The arthritis was gone, and I didn’t care about the mobility I lost in my ankle,” Capeletti wrote in an account of his ordeal. “I started working out more and attempted running longer distances. Prior to this fusion, I could only run for about a mile and then reap the after-effects of the arthritis. Now I was training for a 5K and finally feeling better with minimal discomfort.”

But that was short-lived, as he began developing arthritis in his remaining ankle joints. More surgeries and steroid injections helped, but they weren’t a permanent solution.

“Not wanting to go through any more fusions to only have less mobility, Leah and I discussed amputation,” he said. “Amputating my left foot seemed to be the most logical — and toughest — decision I will ever make.”

He said he has wasted 11 years and refuses to waste any more time on the sidelines.

“I am excited to get back a portion of my life that has been missing,” he said. “I am excited to be able to play with my kids, walk on the beach, and continue with the career that I love.”

His ultimate goal: to run a marathon.

COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE

Officer Bill Bartko, who assumed Capeletti’s position with the motorcycle unit following the crash, has set up a donation account at gofundme.com/sergeant-capelettis-amputation.

The sergeant will be out of work for up to six months while he heals, and his wife will be at home helping with recovery, so funds raised will support the family for the duration.

Bartko said Capeletti has an incredible work ethic and typically agrees to extra off-duty shifts to provide for his family.

Capeletti started a Facebook page — Cap’s Extreme Makeover: Foot Edition or Subtraction — once again using humor to document this journey. He has received words of wisdom and inspiration from others with similar experiences, and he has even connected with people seeking information to help them with their own journey.

One source of strength has been David Post, his brother-in-law and a wounded warrior with a similar amputation.

“He has been a tremendous help and a wealth of knowledge answering all of my questions and giving me great advice,” Capeletti said.

Following Monday’s surgery, he will spend about four days in the hospital before going home to recover. It will take a year for the stump to normalize, he said.

He has been talking to a Sanford police officer who had his left leg amputated after a bone cancer diagnosis. It has been encouraging to know a career on the police force doesn’t have to end just because the leg is gone.

Capeletti has set his eyes on returning to work, and he’s ready to put all the pain behind him.

Early Monday morning, as his wife drove him to the hospital, Capeletti uploaded a final pre-surgery video to his Facebook page. As nervous as he was, his humor was still evident. He played a medley of cringe-worthy but appropriate songs, including Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and ’NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye.”

He said he was ready for “take-off” and shared this: “The Left Foot doesn’t realize it but it’s a one-way trip.”

Contact Amy Quesinberry at [email protected].