Donald Priest, the young survivor of a January 3, 1982 plane crash which resulted in the amputation of his feet, went on to become a successful ABC-certified prosthetist and BOC orthotist.
From his LinkedIn Profile as of July 28, 2015:
Donnie Priest is an ABC-certified prosthetist and BOC orthotist with more than eight years of clinical and professional experience. Donnie became an amputee when he was a 10-year-old child due to cold exposure suffered from an airplane accident. Growing up with prosthetics not only helps him understand how the fit of a prosthesis affects function, it also gives him great insight into the psychological changes and adaptations that amputees go through.
Donnie earned his B.S. in biology with a minor in Geology from Sacramento State University in California. He then attended prosthetic school at Cal-State Dominguez Hills. After completing his residency in prosthetics at Kessler in New Jersey and passing his boards, Donnie worked for a national prosthetics and orthotics company before opening his own facility in California. To balance work, finances, and family values, Donnie moved from California to Kansas City.
Donnie, who wears bilateral below-knee prostheses, is able to apply the concepts learned through his education, training, work experience, and life experiences to all aspects of prosthetics and orthotics. From answering a simple question, to fitting and building a custom orthotic or prosthetic device, Donnie enjoys the diversity in the field and likes the multi-faceted integration of so many parts that go into making the person using a prosthetic or orthotic device restore as much quality of life as possible. In the end, his hopes are that the answer to the question "what will I be able to do?" becomes "more than before."