Jasper Co. farmer returns to the fields one week after amputation, looks to return to normalcy

by Aaron Dixon

JASPER COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Just one week after a life-changing surgery, Jasper County farmer Marissa Paykos is already back at work at Whippoorwill Farms—directing crews, managing daily operations, and learning to move with a new prosthetic.

Paykos, who has run the farm for the past decade, says the goal has always been simple: get fresh, locally grown produce onto tables across the Coastal Empire and the Lowcountry. But a serious accident nearly two years ago forced her and her family to rethink everything.

A fall that changed the farm

Paykos suffered a bad fall while working on the farm nearly two years ago, resulting in a serious ankle and foot injury. Complicating the situation, she was pregnant at the time, limiting what doctors could do immediately.

She says doctors attempted multiple procedures to save the foot.

“When I was pregnant, I had six surgeries to try and save the foot. After I had the baby, we did three more surgeries,” Paykos said.

Despite repeated surgeries, Paykos says the pain continued, making it difficult to work and pushing the farm to scale back operations.

They went from operating four acres of land to two.

Pork, chicken, and egg production were not scaled back, but they did scale back with the veggies.

“When the accident happened, we really didn’t know what the future looked like. So, we scaled back quite a bit,” Paykos said.

Choosing amputation—and moving forward

After consulting with doctors, including specialists in Florida, Paykos made the difficult decision to have her foot amputated last week.

Within days, she began rehabilitation. Now, she’s back on the farm alongside employees—mostly operating from a golf cart as she builds strength and adjusts to the prosthetic.

Paykos says she’s focusing on directing and managing for now, but hopes to be more hands-on by May.

“It’s been a little bit of a blessing in disguise because we have had to slow down and enabled me to work differently with our staff, helping my leadership skills,” Paykos said.

Growing the “Farm Box” program

To help the farm rebuild momentum, Paykos believes continued growth in their Lowcountry Farm Box Program will do the trick.

The program allows families to create a monthly, custom-made box of produce, and Paykos says participation has been growing—currently serving about 150 families.

“It allows us to do more than just support our family, but other businesses as well, and so as we continue to grow that program, we’re hoping to continue to grow and get back to what we were doing on the farm,” Paykos said.

A bigger mission: access and opportunity

Looking ahead, Paykos says the farm hopes to expand more community-focused efforts, including making its “Pay What You Can Produce Stand” a more regular option.

She also says she wants to explore ways for Whippoorwill Farms to create opportunities for amputees and people with mobility disabilities to spend time working outdoors and enjoying farm life.