01/31/2026
Follow up Friday:
We first posted Ms. Joanna Perry's PAD story May 18, 2025 (left photo). It really resonated with folks and was one of our most read and commented on posts. Ms. Perry returned to the Southern VIP Southaven clinic this month for a follow up (right photo), and we think you will all agree, she looks amazing. If you have a moment, read through her story below. It's inspiring.
REPOSTED FROM MAY 2025:
Sometimes we have a patient that really affects us. They immediately become a part of the Southern VIP family for life. Jo Ann Perry is one of those patients. We are so inspired by Ms. Perry's story that we wanted to share it with everyone unedited. Read the story behind the Southern VIP Testimonial below.
"I am so very thankful for Dr Hodgkiss and John Scallions! Not only did I finally find the best PAD doctor I could ever imagine, but I have also received continued care through them every 3 to 6 months, giving me a lot of confidence in my future."
Jo Ann Perry's Story:
"Approximately 35 years ago, my father found out that he had peripheral artery disease (PAD), and he told all three of his children, me, and my two brothers, that it is hereditary and we may one day have to deal with the same disease. Needless to say, I did not heed his warning, and I continued to smoke.
5 years ago, in December of 2019, a heavy glass candle fell on my right foot, hitting my fourth toe. Within just a few days, it started turning black, and when I went to see my primary care physician, she knew right away that I had gangrene starting. She sent me to the emergency room in Grenada, and they sent me to Baptist Hospital in Oxford for further treatment.
Well, of course, they saw the gangrene, and I was immediately admitted to Baptist Hospital on December 26th, 2019. That is when my story really begins. They decided to give my toe the chance to self-amputate, but it did not. Because I also tested positive for osteomyelitis and other infections from the gangrene, I ended up going in and out of the hospital from December 2019 to February 2020 four times. They finally amputated the toe on February 5th.
Dr Dox, who was a vascular surgeon, put a stent in my right hip in January 2020, where the artery was almost 100% occluded. I followed up with Dr Dox later that month after having spent three more stays at Baptist Hospital between December 26th and February 5th, which is the day they finally amputated the fourth toe.
Shortly thereafter, Dr Dox decided to close his practice here in Mississippi and move back to New Jersey. From that point on, I did not have a vascular surgeon. I looked in several other towns like Memphis and Jackson. I did find one in Memphis who told me there was nothing he could do for me, that my veins were calcified and with hard calcification like I had, he could not do anything. I did have another stent put in on the right hip; however, within a year, it had occluded again.
As time went on, I lost one toe after another to gangrene on my right foot until finally they had no choice but to amputate below the knee on February 4th, 2021. Healing time was extremely slow, so for the most part, I was in and out of the wound care clinic at Baptist Hospital from February 2020 through October 2022, having the right stump treated for continuous infections.
Then, in February 2023, an ingrown toenail on my big toe caused gangrene, and before I knew it, I had multiple toes with wounds on my left foot, which ended with me having to have a trans metatarsal amputation of my left foot.
My wound care doctor at Baptist Hospital in Oxford was Dr Michael King, who is the best and most knowledgeable wound care doctor I have ever seen. He knew John Scallions, the PAD Nurse Practitioner (NP) at Southern VIP, and recommended that I go and have a consultation with him to check the blood flow in my left leg, even though I had been told the year before that there was nothing that could be done. Dr. King had a lot of confidence in NP Scallions, and so I thought it would be worth a try.
After I went to my appointment with NP Scallions, I immediately realized I was in the right hands. He immediately started me with the proper tests, located my blockages, and worked with me to set up my first angioplasty at their Memphis clinic. At my first angioplasty, they opened up the blood flow in the top part of my left leg. I later went back a second time for another procedure, to open up the arteries and veins in my lower leg.
My healing time was amazing! I had the 2nd angioplasty in May of 2024, and my foot was healed up, and I was released from care at Baptist Wound Clinic the first week of September 2024. It was so amazing how fast my foot healed, and it was all due to the fact that Dr Hodgkiss was able to open up the blood flow not only in my arteries but in all the little veins that go into my foot, so my wounds healed up so fast I could not believe it.
I am so very thankful for Dr Hodgkiss and John Scallions! Not only did I finally find the best PAD doctor I could ever imagine, but I have also received continued care through them every 3 to 6 months, giving me a lot of confidence in my future. The best part about being referred to John Scallions and Dr Hodgkiss is that I know my future problems with peripheral artery disease couldn't be in any better hands."
