Nate Winters

We met Nate in the fall of 2008; a few months earlier his left leg had been severed above the knee in a boating accident. While out enjoying a day on the lake with his brother Zak, they noticed a patch of saw grass ahead. In an effort to avoid running into it, they made a sharp turn which caused the boat to capsize, throwing Nate into the water. The boat rolled over him and the propellers severed one leg and sliced through the Achilles tendon of the other. According to Nate’s father who is a physician, Nate’s chances of surviving were about 1 in 100 of even making it out of the water alive. The quick thinking of his brother, who used a ski rope as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, probably saved Nate’s life. Usually, when someone experiences and survives a traumatic event like this as a young person you would expect them to be depressed and angry at first. Nate displayed neither of those emotions; instead he was realistic, positive, and eager to move forward with his rehabilitation.

Stan and the team at POA worked hard to get Nate back on his feet as soon as possible, being mindful of his Achilles injury which took months to heal. During the healing process, Nate concentrated on his musical interests (he plays both piano and guitar) and he now performs in a band. His school grades have also improved, he was elected junior class president, and his most recent accomplishment is – he’s playing baseball again! 

On April 12, 2010, twenty months after the boating accident, Nate pitched in a varsity high school baseball game. He was wearing a special prosthesis built for him by POA to allow the rotation and flexibility necessary to withstand the rigors of playing baseball. Nate pitched two scoreless innings for Winter Park High School; he went on to pitch another 2+ innings, throwing 48 pitches and allowing only one hit! His fastball was clocked at around 80-miles an hour - very good by high school baseball standards!

Nate is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with hard work, a positive attitude and state-of-the-art prosthetic care and equipment.  With one year of high school to go, he is reviewing his options for college, and looking forward to whatever lies ahead.

 To read more about Nate, click on the following links to view news articles/video:

http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/June-2010/Almost-Dead-in-the-Water/

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/peM5JE3EEd-lugAcxJTdpg/leg-amputation-cant-keep-florida-junior-off-the-mound.htm

http://varsity.orlandosentinel.com/os-hs-nate-winters-0413-20100412,0,696381.story

http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/04/13/florida-h-s-pitcher-overcomes-loss-of-leg-to-start-again/?sms_ss=email

http://www.wftv.com/video/22946178/index.html