The Beginning of an Unexpected Career
I didn’t exactly plan on a career in prosthetics. Like many important things in life, it came together through a series of small moments that eventually pointed me in a direction I hadn’t expected.
Back in high school, I was what you would probably call a free-wheeling spirit. I didn’t have a clear direction yet, and most of my attention was focused on the next basketball tournament. Like a lot of teenagers, I was thinking about sports, friends, and the next game more than anything else.
My mom had a business acquaintance whose son owned a small prosthetic company with offices in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. Whenever they talked, she would share updates about my life — how I had played in a tournament or how many points I had scored. In return, he would talk about what his son was doing in the prosthetics field, learning to build myoelectric hands or working with advanced prosthetic knees. My mom was fascinated by the work his son was doing in the prosthetics field, and over time that curiosity began to spark something in me as well.
As I was finishing high school and preparing for college, I had a medical issue that led me to visit a vascular surgeon. During our conversation, I asked which prosthetic company he referred his amputee patients to. As it turned out, it was the same company I had heard about through my mom’s acquaintance.
It was one of those small world moments that makes you stop and think. I reached out to the company and arranged an interview with one of the prosthetists there. At the time I didn’t realize how important that step would be, but looking back now, that conversation was the beginning of a career I never expected to have.
Learning the Craft
Like most people entering a hands-on profession, I started at the very bottom. My early responsibilities were simple — sweeping floors, taking out the trash, and unloading boxes. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it gave me the opportunity to be around the shop and observe how everything worked.
Over time, I started learning more about the craft. I learned how to make arch supports for plantar fasciitis. I began to understand how prostheses were built in the late eighties and early nineties. The process involved a lot of careful work, and every piece mattered.
Little by little, the profession began to make sense to me. What started as a simple job slowly grew into something much more meaningful. The more I learned, the more interested I became in the work and the people it helped.
One of the things that made the biggest impression on me early in my career was realizing how much impact this field could have on someone’s life. In prosthetics, you are not simply building a device. You are helping someone regain mobility and independence after something life-changing.
When someone walks for the first time after an amputation, it is a powerful moment. It is powerful for the patient, for their family, and for the people who worked to make that moment possible. Even after decades in this profession, that feeling has never faded for me. Seeing someone regain mobility after something as difficult as limb loss is still just as meaningful today as it was when I first started.
A Community Unlike Any Other
Over the years, working closely with patients and their families has given me a unique perspective on the limb loss community. One thing that stands out again and again is the connection that exists between people who share this experience.
When two amputees meet — whether it’s at a farmer’s market, a concert, or simply while out in public — there is often an immediate sense of understanding. They recognize something in each other that most people around them may not fully understand.
They have experienced similar challenges, similar adjustments, and many of the same moments that come with adapting to limb loss. Because of that shared experience, there is often an instant bond.
I sometimes think of it as a kind of fraternity. It is a community built around a shared experience, and the connection between members of that community can be very strong. At the same time, I have also seen how difficult it can be for people to find reliable information and support when they need it most.