As a teenager Dan had an interest in motorcycles, and was an avid rider. In 1979, at the age of nineteen he was in an accident, which resulted in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. He describes this as being “a difficult time in my life… and it was easy to develop the habit of feeling bad for myself”. Fortunately, Dan eventually realized that through the use of a prosthesis he could still enjoy the same activities, and that it was possible to achieve the same lifestyle he had prior to his accident.
The technological advances since Dan has begun wearing a prosthesis are extremely noticeable. He currently wears an Otto Bock C-Leg with a suction socket style suspension. However, on occasion, he will have a reason to wear an older syle leg- whioch is heaver and has suspension belts for starters- and remarks “… after five minutes of wearing the old, I’m thinking, ‘how did I do this’ ”.
Dan has been a patient of United for almost 10 years. Due to his busy schedule, he finds himself “just stopping in’ for repairs at the Braintree facility. He says that even though these visits are unannounced, “Paul still finds some way to fit me in and get the job done… all my experiences with United have been great”.
Dan is now happily married with three children. He says he still gets to ride occasionally, but hopes to again own a motorcycle once his children finish college.