ROSHARON, Texas — Fred Winter thought life as he knew it was over when a hunting buddy accidentally shot him in the ankle, shattering the bone and forcing doctors to amputate his right leg below the knee.
But nearly 25 years later, at the age of 89, he still swims three times a week, plays golf almost as often and does consulting work in the valve industry.
On Saturday, the World War II veteran went skydiving with five other amputees to show the world that losing a limb hasn't limited their lives.
"I'm doing this simply to get the word out," Winter said. "I've had all the thrills I need."
The jump was organized by the Amputee and Prosthetic Center of Houston, which makes and sells prosthetic limbs and offers support groups and educational programs. The company made special Velcro straps to keep the jumpers' limbs secure.
The event was the brainchild of Jody Wallace, of Pearland, who lost her right leg below the knee in a 2002 car crash. She'd gone skydiving the year before and wondered whether she'd ever be able to do it again.
Wallace, 27, couldn't stop grinning after she landed with her tandem instructor on Saturday afternoon, flushed with excitement and ready to jump again.
"I feel so empowered because I feel like I've overcome this tragic thing," said Wallace, who works for the center counseling people who've recently lost limbs. "I feel like I can do anything."
Skydiving is just the latest extreme challenge for William Silva, whose left leg was amputated after a motorcycle accident in 2003. He surfs and rides Jet Skis near his South Padre Island home with his prosthetic leg, which he had custom fitted with a Coca-Cola bottle opener.
"It was awesome, everything I expected it to be," said Silva, 28, after he glided to the ground.
A center spokeswoman said some amputees who planned to participate skipped the event after hearing that an employee of the skydiving company died this week after his parachute apparently failed to open.
Scott Bell was found Friday in an overgrown field about a mile from the Skydive Spaceland hangar in Rosharon, about 35 miles south of Houston.
Winter said the news made him think twice about jumping, but he did it anyway to inspire veterans who've lost limbs in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I'm doing this simply to get the word out," he said. "It has nothing to do with being brave." |
