Discovering Prosthetics

Enrichment students have been learning about the Paralympics, and how prosthetics help athletes compete. On Tuesday, Shawnie Whitaker, a Lyman High School alumni who lost his leg in a car accident at age 16, spoke to the classes. He explained how “his loss was actually his gain,” because after his accident he turned to God to discover what God’s purpose was for his life. He shared that he was an avid surfer prior to the accident and how prosthetics and the encouragement from his friends and surfboard sponsor helped him get back to surfing. Shawnie showed the students pictures of his recent surfing contest where he won gold in the US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships and shared his joy for helping others learn to surf and his devotion to God. The students learned about the different prosthetics he uses – one for walking, one for running, and one for surfing and how the prosthetic is made to fit onto his leg. To demonstrate how tight of a fit he can get with his prosthetic, he let several students try to pull it off. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear from someone who uses prosthetics and embraces every moment of life!