John Hopkins Amputates Finger
Motorcycle racers are known for being absolutely dedicated to their
craft, and John Hopkins is no exception. Not many can say that they
would amputate part of their finger just to begin racing sooner,
but that's exactly what Hopkins is doing.
The Suzuki superbike rider has been dealing with pain in his right
finger ever since injuring the digit in a 2011 MotoGP race. Several
complications have arisen because of the nagging injury, and after
meeting with doctors Hopkins decided that amputation was the way to
go.
Although other avenues were available to him, most would cause
Hopkins to miss the 2012 season. Instead, cutting off part of the
finger will allow Hopkins to get back on a bike within three
weeks.
Hopkins said he made the decision after learning that a longer
recovery, which would include a painful surgery, would not
necessarily take care of the problem permanently.
"It's never good news when you have to lose a body part, but this
was the best scenario all around because otherwise the situation
could've dragged on for some time, with not necessarily a better
result in the end," he said in a press release. "Apart from the
actual pain of the surgery, I must say that it's feeling better
already. I now have about 10 days when I cannot do any physio, but
then I can start again."