ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Actor Dean Winters says he still feels the effects of undergoing several amputations 12 years ago claiming he hasn't "taken a step since 2009 without being in pain."
“I’ve got neuropathy on, you know, on a whole different level where I can’t feel my hands and my feet," he explained to Page Six. "But if I stepped on a pebble, it’s like I go through the roof.”
The "Law & Order" and "30 Rock" star almost died in 2009 after going into cardiac arrest after contracting a bacterial infection, CNN reports. Winters went through multiple operations and suffered through gangrene before doctors decided to amputate two of his toes and half of a thumb.
Over the years, he just learned to live with the discomfort that never seems to end, Page Six says.
“It’s a very weird dichotomy. It’s like, it’s very hard to figure out. Nothing you can do about it,” he told the outlet. “I’ve been sucking it up because, you know, the alternative is not a place where I want to be.”
His memorable role as the character Mayhem in Allstate commercials almost didn't happen because of the actor initially turning the offer down due to another surgery, Page Six said.
Winters eventually gave in after the insurance company didn't give up.
“It’s crazy if you look in the Webster dictionary, the Old English definition of the word ‘mayhem’ is ‘one with amputations,'” Winters said to Page Six.
