Amputee Lets Nothing Get Him Down

28-year-old Steve has spent exactly half his life with a prosthesis. When he was 14, a freak accident tore his leg off below the knee. Fortunately, his spirit remained intact.

"I was water skiing with friends one summer when I took a fall," said Steve. "I was in the water waiting for the boat to come around and pick me up. But another boat, whose driver wasn't paying attention, got to me first."

The boat ran right over Steve. The propeller took off his right foot above the ankle. It couldn't be saved.

Steve was fit with his first artificial leg two months after the accident. Because he was still growing, Steve got a new prosthesis every year or so through a provider in his home state of Arizona. He continued to play whatever sports he could—including water skiing, basketball, snowmobiling and scuba diving—and tried his hand at different business ventures after finishing high school and a religious mission for his church.

Steve received his training for that mission in Utah, and it was during that time that he first met SPOT staff members. "I needed some fine tuning done on the leg before I left for the mission," said Steve. "And I know it was more than luck that brought me to SPOT.

"They were without question the best practitioners I had worked with in the five years I had my prostheses," said Steve. "So, when I returned from my mission, I knew I wanted them to keep fitting my legs."

That's why, today, Steve refuses to use a provider in his native Arizona and instead comes to Salt Lake City for all his prosthetic work.

"It comes down to who you think is going to do the best work for you," said Steve. "Over the years you get to know where the good companies are, and the folks at SPOT keep up with all the latest technology and their expertise level is very high," he added. "And it doesn't hurt that I also consider them my friends."

"This is a very personal business," says Mike Jay, RTP. "You need to know everything you can about the client—intimate details about how they live their lives—in order to craft the best limb possible," said Mike.

And today, thanks to SPOT and prosthetics manufacturer TEC, Steve is wearing one of the best limbs possible—the TEC Harmony™ system. The prosthesis features an elevated vacuum-assisted socket system (VASS™) that secures the artificial limb to the residual limb."

"As amputees know, the residual limb doesn't stay the same size all day when you're wearing a prosthesis," said SPOT President Jim Liston. "Studies have shown that a patient can lose from 6% to 12% percent of the residual limb's total volume, which leaves the prosthesis loose," he explained.

And that can be dangerous. Because amputees often have reduced sensation in the residual limb, they can't feel when something fits poorly and is rubbing or chafing. The result can be serious infections.

But the elevated vacuum in the TEC Harmony system increases comfort, mobility, and daily activities by controlling volume fluctuation and reducing forces to the residual limb. A special liner also helps increase suspension and allows the wearer to be more aware of how the artificial limb is fitting.

"I'm walking proof that the TEC Harmony leg works," said Steve. "I couldn't shoot hoops or do so many of the other things I enjoy without it."

"We're extremely pleased with how the TEC Harmony leg is working for Steve," said Jim. "And we're honored that Steve thinks enough of SPOT to travel several hundred miles to let us help him.

"He's a great guy with a good spirit and a fantastic attitude," said Jim. "We're proud to be not just his prosthetic team, but his friends as well."

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