Hero. That’s what people called Jordan Thomas and why wouldn’t they? Twelve days after losing his legs in a boating accident, Thomas, then just 16, started a nonprofit to help kids like the ones he met in the hospital get prosthetics.
“People were saying, ‘Attaboy,’” said Thomas, now 26. “Internally, I was thinking, ‘Am I going to be able to swim and play golf again? Are girls going to like me? I am not Superman. I am not something extra special.”
Today, Thomas, who lives in Virginia-Highland and works for a private equity firm, swims and plays golf better than ever. Plenty of girls find him adorable. And the kids Thomas has helped get hands and legs, well, they think he is pretty super.
Q: Do you remember the accident?
A: I remember everything. I was spearfishing with my parents in the Florida Keys and there was quite a bit of chop on the water. I was in the water and started getting pushed behind the boat by the swell. My mom didn't want the boat to come down on my head so she gunned it and the propeller pulled me in and took my legs from mid-calf. I lost half of my blood and it was touch and go for a while. My parents are both physicians and, without question, they saved my life that day. They were freaking out, obviously, making tourniquets and doing all the things they needed to do. It was the most peace I have ever felt in my life. It was really beyond words.
Q: And 12 days later, you started your nonprofit?
A: As a kid, my parents had emphasized how important it was to maintain perspective, to recognize how fortunate I was. I went to great schools and traveled to places around the world. I carried that same mindset after the accident. I had been airlifted to the hospital in Miami where I met a bunch of kids that I could tell had been amputees for some time. Without access to prosthetics, kids will be limited in every aspect of their lives. That's when I learned how expensive prosthetics are and how insurance covers them, which is pretty egregious.
Q: Didn’t you get a lot of recognition for your nonprofit?
A: I was named a CNN Hero and won the National Courage Award. I felt I had to maintain this tough guy image. I was trying to protect my parents, making sure they didn't feel responsible. In reality, I was scared at times, in pain at times and sad at times. In retrospect, it was quite a challenge.
Q: Can you talk more about the insurance coverage?
A: Kids outgrow their prosthetics every 18 to 24 months. Some insurance companies put a cap on what they are willing to pay. Certain policies cover prosthetics once in a lifetime. That is like giving your 13-year-old daughter one pair of shoes and asking her to wear them through high school. I am really proud that my foundation helps these kids all the way to adulthood. Advocacy is another component of my foundation that is important to me.
Q: Can you talk about your current fight with Medicare?
A: In July, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposal that will have profound consequences for amputees and will return to a quality of care comparable to the 1970s. This affects grandmothers, vets, everybody.
Q: Are you optimistic you can overturn the proposal?
A: It's tough to say. The thing that galvanizes my spirit is when I see the faces of the people impacted by this.
Q: You’ve had quite the journey. How are you today?
A: I am not limited by my disability in any way. I am completely at peace. When you are young, you try your best to fit in, to be the same as everyone else. The older you get, you recognize the things that makes you unique are the things that make you special.
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