Terry Tucker: Alone in Surgery, Anchored in Faith

Terry Tucker is a motivational speaker, retired police officer, former NCAA athlete, cancer warrior, and author of Sustainable Excellence. Diagnosed over 13 years ago with a rare form of melanoma, Terry has undergone intense treatments, including an above-the-knee leg amputation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through his story, he continues to teach others about resilience, faith, and redefining strength in the face of adversity.

Segment Summary:
In this soul-stirring segment, Terry takes us back to the moment he was told his leg would be amputated—not just the medical facts, but the emotional gravity of being dropped off alone at the hospital during COVID, with no support person allowed. The deafening silence of the pre-op room. The shocking reality of being sent home after only 48 hours. The grief. The fear. The brutal realization that no one was coming to save him.

But then, the pivot. Terry talks about what it really means to put on your “big boy pants”, to feel pain, fear, abandonment—and still rise with purpose. He shares how his faith in God reframed his suffering, and how he’s come to see his illness as a divine assignment to spread hope, love, and grace.

Key Topics:

• Getting a life-altering surgery during COVID—completely alone
• The emotional and physical aftermath of a leg amputation
• Facing vulnerability and fear without shame
• The reality of being sent home too soon due to strained hospital systems
• How Terry’s faith became his anchor, even in the most painful moments
• Viewing illness and adversity as a mission, not punishment

Guest Contact & Resources:
📘 Sustainable Excellence: Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life
🌐 MotivationalCheck.com

Find out more about Kali and the show HERE: https://humanityoffame.com/

Transcript

0:00

I know you mentioned that, will you still be able to hug your wife and, you know, things like that, but can you take us to some of the things that crossed your mind when you first found out that you would have to have, you know, these type of amputation? I'll give you the leg amputation because that was much more, much more difficult. And one of the reasons was the timing of it. I found out I had to have my leg amputated above the knee in the middle of the COVID pandemic. And so I was literally dropped off at the hospital by my wife. I was not allowed to have anyone with me for support. I was put in a wheelchair, wheeled back to, if you've ever had surgery, there's usually a pre-op area where, you know, it's divided off into little curtained areas and you're prepping everybody for different kinds of surgeries. I was the only person in that pre-op area that morning when I had my leg amputated, nobody else. The silence was almost deafening. Yeah. If my leg hadn't been broken by the tumor that I had in it at the time, I would have run like heck out of there. It was me, the nurse and an anesthesiology resident. And I was like, oh my God, I'm going to lose my leg. And then they told me you'll be in the hospital for 10 to 14 days after the surgery to learn how to function without your left leg and things like that. They sent me home after 48 hours because of COVID. Oh my God. We don't want you here. Go home. I'm like, what do you mean go home? I didn't even manage the pain yet. You just cut my leg off above my knee. And now you're like, go home? There's no S on my chest. I do not have a cape and flower. I don't have magical powers. Are you kidding me? So it was, you know, put on your big boy pants now. Nobody's coming to your rescue. Nobody's going to be here to help you. You have to deal with this. My God. It's that adversity that you realize just how strong you really are. It's like, yeah, all right, I can handle this. I'm going to do it one minute at a time. And being afraid of something is not, I know why we are. And I know why fear is part of us. But you know, I go back to the Bible phrase about, you know, Jesus saying, you know, can worry add even one extra hour to your life. No, it doesn't serve any purpose. I know why we have it, but it doesn't serve any purpose. And when you kind of keep the bigger picture in mind, this is something, I have a very strong faith in God. This is something that God wants me to do. And even today, I feel that my cancer, my malignancy, my infirmity is a way for God to show people his love, his mercy, his grace. Absolutely, absolutely. So that's what my purpose is now. Use me, God. You made me. Use me to make this world a better place. Yes. And you are a willing vessel. So you are being used greatly too, greatly.