This story was originally published by Searchlight New Mexico, a non-partisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigative reporting in New Mexico
Sometimes, it hits Kae Barnes in the most mundane situations, like when she’s taking a shower. She shaves her right leg first, then moves over to her left — and stops. Even just riding in the car where she lives near Phoenix, Arizona, can be disconcerting. “Everything’s normal, it’s fine, and then I happen to look down, and it’s like, oh my gosh, I really don’t have a leg.”
Three years ago, Barnes walked into an outpatient clinic called Modern Vascular, now a national chain whose treatments are supposed to prevent amputations, and complained of weakness in her left leg. Over the course of three months, she underwent multiple inappropriate procedures that damaged her blood vessels, she alleges in a lawsuit.
