Her small toe was turning purple, and the pain was excruciating. Glory Paschal knew how fast this could spiral. She just had to look around her neighborhood in Watts to see how many residents were missing feet and legs.
She fought for a referral to a podiatrist, but by the time she saw one, it was too late.
On Feb. 10, 2011, doctors at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center had no option but to amputate her left leg below the knee.
This summer, the now 53-year-old Black grandmother was back in the hospital, this time with two infections particularly lethal for a diabetic: severe COVID-19 had her gasping for breath and gangrene was eating away at her remaining foot … read more