Living with a Below-Knee Amputation: A Unique Insight from a Prosthetist/Amputee Tapa blanda - 2005

Richard Lee Riley, CP, BS

Richard Lee Riley, CP, BS has been an amputee for 30 years and a prosthetist for over 22 years. His experiences in life from the perspective of the prosthetist/amputee provide a unique insight into life as an amputee. As he turns 50, he can look back over a life filled with rich and rewarding experiences. He has a degree in education from Miami University of Ohio and has taught elementary school in Mexico and Egypt. He bicycled the Alps and went on safari in Kenya. He built a house and decided to change careers. Eight years after the motorcycle accident that resulted in his amputation, he became a prosthetist and got married.

He attended Northwestern University's Prosthetic Program and founded an Atlanta-based handicapped sports association. He became an avid sportsman and began skiing, both downhill and cross-country. In 1983, he became a member of the U.S. Disabled Nordic team for the next 6 years. Rick took a job with a prosthetics firm in New Hampshire and he and his wife moved north. He competed in two Olympics and one World Championship, as well as the U.S. National Biathlon Championships.

Richard and his wife divorced and he headed west to Nevada. He started a business from scratch in Reno and eventually moved outside of town into nearby Washoe Valley. His business grew and he remarried and began a family. Rick's business flourished as he hired mostly amputees to work for him. In 2000, he sold his business and moved with his wife and two sons to Spain for a year.

He now lives with his family in their home in Washoe Valley where he writes and provides consulting services. He is a member of Rotary International and continues to remain active in the prosthetics industry.