FOX31 Denver

‘Life is not necessarily over’: Message for amputees during a clinic in Parker

PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — About 50 participants came to the Colorado adaptive mobility clinic for the ninth year. The event is organized by local prosthetics provider Hanger Clinic.  

“On October 19 I was riding my motorcycle. A guy wasn’t paying attention, hit me head-on, and it was pretty brutal,” said Stevie Crawford. “I decided, what’s the point of keeping it if I can’t use it so it was a better option for me to amputate my leg and is honestly the best decision I ever made.” 

Crawford had to make a choice on whether to endure two to three years of surgeries and not be able to skate or snowboard again, or amputate his leg and have a chance at returning to participating in such activities with a prosthetic. 

Other members of the limb loss community might not have chosen this path, but they did choose to make their way onto the track and be a team players rooting on others.  

“We want to bring them out and show them what’s possible, right, that life’s not necessarily over, it’s just gonna be a little different,” said Scott Taylor, with the Hanger Clinic. “It’s just really a day of building community and also let them get around their peers to be able to talk through what’s going on in their life.”

Here these survivors of limb loss and limb difference can learn about new technologies and resources, but what Crawford enjoys most is the stories.

“It’s a good opportunity to meet other people and kind of share stories and a really good source of inspiration and motivation,” Crawford said.  

Athletes of all ages taking on the turf showing that their future is not limited by their past.