50 Years of Moving Forward
In 1975, James Warner's life changed in an instant.
A lifelong farmer, he stopped to help a driver who had gone off the road. After pulling the vehicle from the ditch with his tractor, he was standing near the car when another vehicle struck them. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors spent two weeks trying to save his leg before ultimately making the decision to amputate.
What happened next began a story of resilience, adaptation, and a relationship with Syracuse Prosthetic & Orthotic Center that would span 50 years.
Getting Back on His Feet, Literally
Even while James was still in the hospital, sitting still wasn't exactly an option.
Eager to get outside and move around, he kept asking his doctor what he could do. Eventually, the doctor took him to the hospital basement, covered his residual limb in plaster of Paris, and, with a piece of copper pipe and a rubber tip, created a makeshift prosthesis.
It wasn't sophisticated, but it worked.
By the time he left the hospital, he was already using it to get around. And before long, he was back at the farm.
In July 1975, his doctor recommended that he visit Syracuse Prosthetic & Orthotic Center to be fitted for his first true prosthetic leg.
He has been coming here ever since.
Farming Didn't Stop
Losing his leg required adjustments, but it didn't change who James was.
He returned to farming, milking cows, climbing silos, and driving tractors. He practiced using tractor and truck clutches out in the fields, where he had plenty of room to learn safely.
That first winter? He was back on a snowmobile.
There were mishaps along the way, too. Once, the day after receiving part of a new leg, he stepped down from his tractor and the leg broke. He climbed back into the cab, drove to the driveway, honked the horn for his wife, and asked her to bring his crutches.
Another time, his leg broke while he was working in the barn. The employee working beside him was horrified by the sight of nuts and bolts hitting the floor.
His response was much calmer: call his wife, have her bring his other leg, and keep going.
Looking back, he can laugh about those moments.
But they also capture the approach he has taken for five decades: when something knocks you down, figure out what you need, get back up and keep moving.
Watching Prosthetic Care Change Over 50 Years
When James first came to SPOC's former Fayette Street location, prosthetics looked very different from what they do today.
He remembers a fabrication room covered in sawdust and shavings as prosthetic legs were shaped and built. Over the decades, he watched materials get lighter, technology get more advanced, and prosthetic care get more precise.
Today, his prosthetic leg contains a computer.
Instead of making an adjustment and hoping it works, clinicians can connect his prosthesis to a laptop, watch him walk, and make detailed changes based on his gait.
The difference isn't only technological. Prostheses have become lighter, more comfortable, and easier to move in.
Through all of those changes, one thing has remained constant: SPOC has been there.
Over the years, generations of the SPOC team have cared for him. And despite having 50 years to consider his options, he says he has never thought about going anywhere else.
For him, the reason is simple. When something isn't right, the team works to figure out why.
There have been times when he arrived at SPOC knowing only that he wasn't walking correctly. By the time he left, adjustments had been made, and he was walking the way he should again.
A Full Life, Not a Smaller One
Over the past 50 years, his prosthesis has helped him continue doing the things that make his life his own.
He's farmed. Driven tractors. Snowmobiled. Traveled. Swam. Played basketball with his grandchildren.
There are 13 grandchildren now, and apparently Grandpa isn't above grabbing a shirt during a basketball game if it gives him an advantage.
His family has also given him plenty of football games to attend. His sons played for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, and several grandchildren have gone on to play college football.
Through all those experiences, his prosthesis didn’t define the boundaries of his life.
It's been a tool that helped him keep living it.
“It's Going to Get Better.”
After 50 years as an amputee, his advice to someone facing a new amputation is simple:
It's going to get better.
He remembers visiting a new amputee in the hospital years ago. The man had lost his leg in a snowmobiling accident and assumed that meant his snowmobiling days were over.
He asked him one question: Could he sit in a chair in his living room?
Yes.
Then he told him he could sit on a snowmobile.
The following winter, the man called him.
He was snowmobiling again.
The message James still shares with new amputees today is that in those first days and weeks, it can be difficult to imagine what life will look like. But an amputation doesn't automatically mean giving up the things you love.
“You can take it as far as you want to take it.”
50 Years Together
SPOC has changed tremendously since 1975.
The materials have changed. The technology has changed. The way prostheses are designed, fabricated, and adjusted has changed.
And James’ life has changed, too.
But for 50 years, SPOC has had the privilege of being part of his journey, from getting back to the farm after his accident to keeping up with 13 grandchildren today.
His story reminds us why we do what we do.
Prosthetic care isn't simply about creating a device. It's about helping someone get back to the farm. Back on the snowmobile. Back in the pool. Back to traveling, working, playing with grandchildren, and doing the things that make life feel like their own. And sometimes, it's about being there for the next adjustment, the next challenge, and the next chapter, for 50 years and counting.
