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Young Bilateral Amputee 'an Everyday Hero'
By Miki Fairley Ryan Shewell has had several heroes, and in the
process, has become somewhat of a hero himself. In fact, he has
been described as an everyday hero.
 Ryan's passion is sports and his two children are
his inspiration.
A deadly fast-acting pneumonia invaded his bloodstream when he
was only nine, causing the amputation of both legs below the knee
and the loss of parts of both hands. But that didn't slow Ryan
down. With prosthetic feet from Seattle Systems, Poulsbo,
Washington, Ryan gave full range to his love of sports, being
active in softball, soccer, basketball, and water skiing.
Now 27, Ryan is the father of two children, Hailey and
Sebastian. They, along with his wife Alana, have brought joy and
purpose into his life.
Sports Success
An ace softball pitcher, Ryan once pitched a game that was only
two walks away from perfect. One of his heroes is Jim Abbott, a
major league baseball pitcher who was born without a right hand.
Jim also is one of just a handful of players who never put on a
minor league uniform: he jumped right from college baseball to the
California Angels. Before becoming a big league player, Jim helped
the US baseball team capture its first gold medal during the 1988
Olympics, being the winning pitcher in a 53 win over Japan. Like
his hero Abbott, Ryan is a southpaw.
 With heroes like Jim Abbott and a mentor like
Seattle Systems prosthetist Dave Hensley, CP, FAAOP, Ryan has met
all the challenges life has thrown at him successfully. To Ryan,
Hensley is more than his prosthetist--he is a mentor and friend,
Ryan says. Through the years, Hensley and Seattle Systems have
helped Ryan attain his goals. In fact, Ryan has seen many
variations of prosthetic feet come and go, some working better for
this highly active user than others. "They give me the parts and
see if I'm going to break them," he jokes. Having become somewhat
of a product test expert, Ryan currently is a fan of Seattle
Systems' Cadence HPTM foot.
Helping At-Risk Kids
Among his other talents is working in construction; he recently
rewired a house.
Besides sports, Ryan also has a strong interest in the theater,
both on-stage in comedy and behind the scenes doing set design.
Ryan also spends time working with at-risk kids through the Boys
& Girls Club and Big Brother and gives motivational talks to
large groups, reminding young people that they can achieve their
goals through hard work, a positive attitude, and not giving up.
"If there's a challenge," says Ryan, "I never say, I can't do
it.'"
Another hero to Ryan is his mother, Stephanie Shewell. Although
she succumbed to cancer about four years ago, she continues to
inspire Ryan with one of her favorite sayings: "Conquer your mind,
and your heart will follow." Ryan has indeed found that when the
mind accepts the possibilities, the heart helps make goals come
true. 
Table Of Contents - November 2004
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