Baptist Health Helps Wounded Warrior Stand Strong

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - At one time it would have been hard for Anthony Ameen to stand with confidence with his doctors at Baptist Health Hospital.

Ameen, a Navy corpsman in Afghanistan in 2008, was running to save a wounded Marine when he stepped on an IED and his legs, and life, shattered.

"I woke up to a stump," he said.

His left leg was amputated.

Ameen said was worse than that was what happened to his so-called good leg. He said he had an open, and often oozing wound, that for five long years he worried others might smell.

"I'm very proud of the prosthetic leg but it was the wound, I was always trying to hide that, not the prosthetic," he said.

Ameen, a Phoenix native, was treated in South Florida because of the non-profit organization Restoring Heroes. His care, his lodging, everything was 100 percent covered.

He has endured 33 complicated surgeries and he'll undergo another on Tuesday before returning home. His medical team at Baptist Health has been finally able to close off his chronic, seeping infection. Ameen is truly grateful.

"Not only the time but the resources and funding that the hospital was willing to donate that's huge," he said.

The father of four is now walking and talking about his next steps in the future. Ameen has his own foundation called Wings for Warriors where he's helped more 2,500 veterans get their health care and financial benefits.