By WILL VRASPIR Hastings Tribune

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) -- Bill Bye's fondness of Husker sports is pretty apparent - from a bed spread and towel rack to his new prosthetic leg.

The 66-year-old barber loves sporting events of all kinds, and he continues to cut hair and be active, despite the amputation of his left leg in March.

"He hasn't let it slow him down," his daughter, Christy Hoffmeyer, said. "I was amazed at how much he has done so soon."

Bye's lower leg was amputated after doctors found it was gangrenous, a decaying of body tissue when blood supply is obstructed by injury or disease.

In Bye's case, diabetes contributed to poor blood circulation in his legs. Problems with Bye's feet increased over several years to where he eventually lost feeling in them.

Hoffmeyer said her father almost lost his foot a few years ago, when he burned it on a lawnmower. He didn't know how badly it was hurt, because he couldn't feel the pain. The burn caused an infection that antibiotics were able to cure.

Bye later developed an excruciating pain between his back and the upper part of his left leg. Doctors tried bypass surgery in February to remove a blockage in the leg.

It proved unsuccessful.

Doctors told him amputation was his best chance to alleviate the pain.

"I guess I went through so much pain that I didn't care," Bye said.

A barber for 48 years, Bye has refused to give up cutting hair completely. Even while dealing with back and leg pain, he converted his double-car garage into a barber shop to continue his work.

Since the amputation, Bye has been using a wheelchair and walker to help him get around, as doctors are trying to convince him not to overuse his prosthetic leg.

Hoffmeyer said she was amazed at how quickly her father got back o his everyday activities and sporting events.

"He likes to be on the go," Hoffmeyer said. "We're all proud of him. He has done an amazing job."

Bye has had some pain from overworking his leg, but he still feels he can do about anything he wants. He learned to drive a manual-transmission truck and uses it to get around.

His advice for anyone going through a tough time is to not give up.

"You have to have a lot of faith," he said. "I've never had a bad attitude about this whole thing."

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