Jan Abens is a pain management nurse at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest in Waco. She's been a nurse for nearly four decades and has continued to dedicate her life to serving others even after losing her leg in a motorcycle accident six years ago.
She's now using her experience to connect with patients in the trauma center as well as other amputees outside of the hospital.
A few months ago, she started an amputee support group at Hillcrest. It's the only location in the entire Baylor Scott & White system to offer this service.
The group meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m., and caregivers are also able to attend.
"When I first became an amputee, I didn't know any other amputees," Abens said. "I didn't have any support and I felt very much alone. So this is exciting to see, especially the newer amputees. They have a place to go and people that they can talk to."
Kayla Halbert met Abens back in 2016 when she lost her leg in a car accident. She said Abens helped her through an extremely difficult time, inspiring her to give back to other amputees.
"When we first came, there was only just a few of us and tonight we have so many and we have two new people that have come and it's just really great to them share their side of their story and hear us, that way we can help them," Halbert said.
So far the group has had five meetings and about 10 people have joined.
Abens said this support group is important to have in our community since other services are as far away as Dallas and Austin.
For more information on the support group, click here.
Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.
