STRENGTH IN NUMBERS-An ex-Marine, Maurice Gilchrist enjoyed an active lifestyle until he lost part of both legs following heart surgery last year. Gilchrist would like to form a support group to assist others who face similar challenges. By all accounts Maurice Gilchrist, 52, is a miracle man.

On May 21, 2005, he survived a massive heart attack that required him to undergo a quadruple bypass. Before and after the complex surgery, Gilchrist said, his heart stopped four times-twice in the hospital room and twice on the operating table.

Now, Gilchrist has another battle he's fighting: overcoming the loss of his legs below the knee.

"The doctors concentrated so much on my heart and keeping me alive, they didn't realize there was no oxygen going to my feet and gangrene set in," the Simi Valley resident said.

Gilchrist's doctor told him he had two choices: either let the gangrene spread or amputate nine inches below both knees.

After enduring the traumatic ordeal, Gilchrist discovered there were no local support groups to turn to for help.

"I wasn't able to locate a support group for amputees. I called all the local hospitals and the doctor who amputated and they couldn't help," Gilchrist said. "I looked on the Internet but couldn't find anything local. I don't want to talk online or on the phone."

Gilchrist's wife, Lorrayne, 58, is supportive of her husband through his challenges, and said she understands why it's important for him to talk one-on-one with people who are facing similar challenges.

"Even though he spent six years in the Marine Corps as a reservist, he has no benefits as far as the Veterans Administration goes," Lorrayne said. "The VA hospital has support groups for active service amputees, but there no local support groups for non-vets."

Gilchrist gets around in a wheelchair and works at walking on artificial legs, a task both frustrating and painful.

Recently, the determined former Marine became certified to drive with hand-held controls. While he's making progress, depression over the loss of his limbs has taken a toll.

Gilchrist's spirits were raised recently when he met a fellow amputee on a trip to Las Vegas.

"We were in Vegas and a man pulled up to me in a wheelchair and we started talking," Gilchrist said.

"He had a heart attack and lost a leg. We had so much in common. We were talking for so long his wife finally had to break it up," he said.

Gilchrist was born in Germany, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. The family came back to the States when Gilchrist was 2 years old and settled in Kansas City.

Gilchrist enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1972 and after his discharge got his GED at an adult school. He worked for the Upjohn Co. as a forklift operator before being transferred to California.

After 27 years, at age 51, he retired, looking forward to a "second life." That's when the heart attack hit.

"At one point in time I said this is the end of my world," Gilchrist said, "and then I said, 'No wait a minute, this is the beginning of your new world.'"

While there've been setbacks, both physical and financial, due to medical bills, Gilchrist is a fighter who wants to help others.

"When I get more mobile, I want to volunteer in the hospitals and talk to the amputees," Gilchrist said. "To give them confidence and say, 'Look, you can do it.'"