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Ben Quinn's Competitive Spirit
By Sherry Metzger 
On a near perfect summer day in the extreme-sports playground of
Lake Tahoe, California, 22-year-old Ben Quinn was found screaming
for help in a vineyard. A morning of skydiving with a friend ended
in tragedy after a miscommunication between the two resulted in a
deadly accident that left Quinn battling to recover. Three years
later, Quinn, of Bellingham, Washington, speaks candidly about
overcoming the emotional and physical pain of his accident and once
again competing in his favorite sports.
Growing up in the quaint town of Loomis, California, less than
an hour from San Francisco Bay and Lake Tahoe, afforded Quinn
nearly endless sporting opportunities. "I did whatever I could," he
says. "You can do a lot of different things there and have very
expensive hobbies, so I had to narrow down my sports."
He focused his youthful energy (and financial resources) on
skydiving and wakeboarding, while he worked as a stonemason in Lake
Tahoe, until his skydiving accident in 2004. "When I opened my
parachute, my buddy was right above me in a free fall," Quinn says.
"He was hit by my canopy going over 120 mph, and he died on
impact."
The mid-air collision shattered Quinn's ankle, blew out his
knee, and resulted in extensive nerve damage. With his body in
complete shock and his vision fading to black, Quinn knew he was in
trouble and desperately tried to stay calm as he focused on his
landing area, just visible from miles above. "I knew I was really
hurt," he says. "I remembered from my lifeguard training that any
movement could result in paralysis, so I tried to stay very still
and keep my eyes wide open."
After flying over power lines and a freeway, Quinn landed in a
vineyard, where witnesses ran to his aid. Quinn's injuries were
severe, and doctors in the trauma unit kept him in an induced coma
for a week and a half to save his life. His three months at the
University of California, Davis, Medical Center, and Madrona
Medical Center, Bellingham, Washington, were peppered with
surgeries; he underwent 30-40 operations to try to save his left
leg and repair the damages to his battered body.
"I don't even know how many surgeries I had because there were
so many that I lost count. My insurance company knew me by name; I
was no longer just a number," he jokes before turning serious.
"When my leg repeatedly became infected, my doctors told me it
would be better to amputate, but I was young and I didn't want to
lose my leg."
When his leg began to deteriorate, Quinn made the difficult
decision to have it amputated below the knee and ended up wishing
he had done it sooner. "It's hard to see at the time how life can
get back to normal after an amputation," he says. "Amputees came in
and talked to me about how they can do everything they used to do.
It took lots of visits before I finally believed that could be
possible. Once they started talking about competing with
able-bodied people, I started listening more."
As it turned out, competition would play a major role in Quinn's
recovery. Though he lost 40 pounds while in the hospital, Quinn
eagerly began sport rehabilitation. "Rehab was a series of baby
steps. Learning to [walk] using a prosthesis was like learning to
ride a bike with training wheels. I had someone show me how to do
it, started on parallel bars, then used crutches, then a cane. Now
I can run and do every sport I did before my accident," he says.
"It has been a long road, but it's important to see an end to the
road and keep a positive attitude about it."
As Quinn became more proficient with his prosthetic leg, and
more familiar with the technological advances and variety of
prosthetic options, he grew more involved with the sports he loved
before his accident. Through a process of trial and error, along
with good communication with his prosthetist, Quinn now
successfully competes in extreme sports. "It was a process of
learning how to use my equipment," he says. "The thing I liked
about my prosthetist is he never said that I would never be able to
do something I wanted to try. He just said, Let's see what we can
do so you'll be able to do that.' Then it was a matter of problem
solving together."
Quinn's prosthetist, Tom Broselle, CPO, Cornerstone Prosthetics
in Bellingham, further encouraged him by sponsoring his trip to the
O&P Extremity Games held last July in Orlando, Florida. "I know
how much he wanted to compete in the Extremity Games," says
Broselle. "He's a very competitive guy. I told him I'd sponsor him
as long as he didn't mind if I went along."
In its second year, the Extremity Games, sponsored by College
Park Industries, Fraser, Michigan, hosted more than 150 athletes
with limb loss or limb difference who competed in a variety of
extreme-style sporting events. "The Extremity Games are the only
structured competition for these types of extreme sports for
amputees," explains Broselle. "I knew it would be good for Ben
because he's young and active, but I think most of my patients
could benefit from some competition because it's such a great
motivation for them. Whether able-bodied or an amputee, anyone will
be inspired when they see these athletes compete."
To adapt Quinn's prosthetic leg for wakeboarding, Broselle
shaped the leg to fit over Quinn's knee for more stability, and
Quinn found that using duct tape was a great way to keep water out
of his liner. "The Extremity Games are highly motivating&.
Standing on the board is a release for me; it clears my head,
relaxes me," says Quinn, who took home first place in the
recreational wakeboarding competition. "The great thing about going
to an event like this is meeting other amputees from around the
world and learning from them. We got some great ideas from other
people there about equipment, bindings, and prosthetic design."
As soon as he regained his strength after the skydiving
accident, friends and family began asking Quinn when he would
"jump" again. "I never ruled it out," he says. "I understood that I
could get seriously injured doing any sport, or driving on the
freeway for that matter, and I didn't want to live in fear. My
accident was a result of poor communication, not equipment failure,
and that helped me to want to try it again.
"My first jump didn't go that well," he laughs. "My liner filled
up with air and I had to take my leg off in mid-air, pull my canopy
with one arm, and land with one leg. I started using duct tape
after that!"
Maintaining a sense of humor, Quinn is a remarkable inspiration
and athlete in the face of great adversity. "I've kept a positive
attitude about the whole process of recovery, and I have a great
prosthetist," he says. "The relationship between the prosthetist
and patient is very important. A good prosthetist helps you
progress and do everything you want. They don't close any doors -
they open them."
Sherry Metzger, MS, is a freelance writer with degrees in
anatomy and neurobiology. She is based in Westminster, Colorado,
and can be reached at sherry@opedge.com 
Table Of Contents - November 2007
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