Afeez
A city kid with a paddle
Afeez grew up in Nigeria, a soccer fan with a big laugh and a serious game at the ping pong table. He played professionally and was training for a competition that doubled as an Olympic qualifier. Every morning started with a one to two hour run before sunrise.Today he’s a project manager with
The morning everything changed
One Friday, about eight miles into his run, a driver coming home from a club hit him from behind and drove over him. He woke up in intensive care about 12 days later with a broken neck, spinal injuries, a wound in his chest, and the loss of his leg.
Five years on a pipe
The only prosthesis available to him was a basic pipe with two hinges, tied around his waist with a belt. It didn’t bend, so he had to support it with his hand and drag it to walk. He had body pain every day and assumed it was just part of life after the accident.
When Afeez came to the United States, he met Limb Lab co-founder Brandon Sampson. With his new leg, the daily pain went away and the way his whole body moved changed. Now he tells his clinician exactly what he wants (walking four or five miles a day, a socket that doesn’t hurt) and expects the team to get him there.
“They listen to you. They don’t write you off. They treat you like a person.”
From McDonald’s to Minneapolis Public Works
Afeez started out in the US working at McDonald’s, then earned a spot in a training program that led to pipeline inspection and later construction inspection for CenterPoint Energy. Today he’s a project manager with City of Minneapolis Public Works, a job he says he never would have landed on his old leg. When he went back to visit Nigeria, his family watched him walk without dragging his leg.
See Afeez’s story
Your story isn’t over
Whether you’re recovering in the hospital or years into life with limb loss, our clinicians are here for every step.
