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In the past, amputees were uncommon—before the rise of modern medicine, losing a limb often led to death. The technique for ligating blood vessels wasn't developed until 1529, and the tourniquet wasn't introduced until 1674. A person who lost a limb would typically bleed out in minutes, and if they survived, infection was often fatal. Over time, advancements in medical practices allowed many soldiers from the Civil War to survive and even return home despite their amputations.
Today, losing a body part remains a traumatic experience, but the possibilities for amputees have become astonishing, with a future that includes robotic arms and legs that can be directly integrated with our brains.
10. Philippe Croizon
In 1994, French steelworker Philippe Croizon was severely shocked while working on a metal ladder, leading to the amputation of all his limbs. During his recovery in the hospital, he watched a documentary about a woman swimming across the English Channel, which inspired him and lifted him from his depression. He soon began rigorous training. In September 2010, Philippe swam across the Channel from Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, France, in under 14 hours, covering 33.8 kilometers (21 miles), becoming the first quadruple amputee to successfully swim the English Channel.
Since then, he has taken on similar swimming challenges worldwide. In August 2013, Croizon made headlines once again when his high-tech, $30,000 wheelchair was stolen by thieves. After publicly appealing for its return, the chair was brought back by a man who claimed he had only taken it for 'safekeeping.'
9. Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius’s story was one of the most inspiring in the world of sports, until it took a tragic and strange turn. Born in 1986 with fibular hemimelia, a condition that left him without a fibula (a lower leg bone), he underwent amputations at 11 months old, allowing him to walk. Oscar excelled in athletics from a young age and took up running while recovering from a rugby injury.
He became known as 'Blade Runner' due to his use of the Flex Foot Cheetah, a curved carbon fiber prosthetic. Throughout his brief career, he won numerous medals, including six golds at the Paralympic Games. In 2012, he made history by becoming the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics at the London Games.
However, in less than a year, everything came crashing down. On February 14, 2013, gunshots echoed from Pistorius’s home in Pretoria, South Africa. When the police arrived, they found Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar’s stunning model girlfriend, dead on the bathroom floor. Pistorius claimed he mistook Reeva for an intruder, believing she was still in bed when he fired through the locked bathroom door. The investigation was complicated, and a trial was scheduled for March 2014. Pistorius was not considered a flight risk and returned to training in the summer of 2013, visibly thinner.
8. Greg Gadson
From 1985 to 1989, Greg Gadson played football for the US Military Academy at West Point. He later had a distinguished military career lasting nearly 20 years, ultimately reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On May 7, 2007, while serving in Baghdad, Iraq, he lost both of his legs in a roadside bomb explosion. When his former West Point teammate, Mike Sullivan, heard the news, he visited him at Walter Reed Medical Center. Sullivan, who was an assistant coach for the New York Giants, asked if there was anything he could do for his friend. Gadson requested to take his family to a Giants game.
The following season, Sullivan made sure that Gadson’s wish came true. The 2007 Giants season had started with a disappointing 0-2 record when Gadson was invited to attend a game. Sullivan, however, asked Greg to address the team the night before the game. He gave a powerful speech on teamwork and seizing opportunity, which energized the team.
The Giants then went on to win six consecutive games. On January 20, Gadson was on the sidelines, serving as honorary co-captain when the Giants faced the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. They won, then triumphed over the heavily favored New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. In recognition of his contribution, Gadson was awarded his own Super Bowl ring.
By 2012, Gadson, now walking with bionic prosthetics, made his acting debut in the action-packed movie Battleship.
7. Jerry Garcia
Playing the guitar is an intricate endeavor, even for someone with all ten fingers, but Jerry Garcia, the lead singer of the Grateful Dead, became one of the most iconic guitarists in history despite having just nine. As a young boy on vacation, he was holding a piece of wood for his older brother, Tiff, to split, when the axe missed its target, amputating about two-thirds of Jerry’s right middle finger. Though the injury was traumatic, it didn’t hold him back. He was ranked the 46th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone and was celebrated for drawing from a wide range of musical influences. As an adult, he often greeted audiences with a playful, abbreviated middle-finger salute.
6. Kyle Maynard
Kyle Maynard was born with small stumps for arms and legs, a condition known as congenital amputation. His disability never held him back—in high school, he excelled as an athlete, competing in both football and wrestling. In 2009, he participated in a mixed martial arts match in Alabama. Though his opponent, Brian Fry, was able to avoid Maynard’s takedowns, Kyle went the full distance, losing by a close 27-30 decision.
Kyle’s achievements didn’t stop there. In 2012, he led Mission Kilimanjaro, a campaign aimed at raising awareness for disabled veterans. Using bike tires wrapped around his limbs with tape, he crawled all the way to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, becoming the first quadruple amputee to conquer Africa’s tallest peak using only his hands and feet.
5. Tammy Duckworth
One of the harshest realities of war is the devastating toll it takes on soldiers, often resulting in horrific injuries. The recent conflicts in the Middle East are no exception. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have led to countless soldiers returning home with missing limbs. Tammy Duckworth was one of them. Serving in the Army National Guard, she was co-piloting a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in 2004 when it was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The explosion left her legs destroyed and nearly claimed her right arm. Duckworth became the first female double amputee of the Iraq War and faced an incredibly difficult recovery.
After her military service, Duckworth transitioned into politics, working tirelessly to advocate for disabled veterans through the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Equipped with prosthetic legs, she relearned how to walk. In 2013, Duckworth made history as the first disabled woman ever elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 8th District.
4. Hugh Herr
In his teenage years, Hugh Herr was considered one of the world’s top mountain climbers. However, in 1982, while attempting to scale Mount Washington in New Hampshire, he and a climbing partner were caught in an unexpected blizzard. The rescue operation turned disastrous—both climbers suffered severe frostbite, and one of the volunteers tragically lost their life in an avalanche. As a result, Herr’s legs had to be amputated below the knee, marking what seemed like the end of his climbing career.
But just a few months after the accident, Herr had completed his rehabilitation and was back climbing mountains, using prosthetic legs that he had designed and developed himself. Not only had he regained his abilities, but he surpassed his previous feats. Herr went on to earn a master’s in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in biophysics from Harvard. He is currently a professor, focusing much of his research on robotic limb replacements. Describing his own prosthetic limbs, he says, “I’m titanium, carbon, silicon, a bunch of nuts and bolts. My limbs have 12 computers, five sensors, and muscle-like actuator systems that help me move throughout my day.”
3. Jeff Bauman
In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, three people lost their lives and 264 were injured, many losing limbs. Among the most powerful and heartbreaking images from the tragedy was that of Jeff Bauman, a young man who had both of his legs torn off in one of the blasts. He was waiting at the finish line for his girlfriend, who was running in the race. Despite enduring this personal nightmare, Bauman provided crucial eyewitness testimony to the FBI, which ultimately led to the death of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the capture of his brother, Dzhokhar. Like many victims of the bombing, Bauman has used his platform to deliver inspiring messages. Determined to reclaim a sense of normalcy, he has begun walking on prosthetics. In September 2013, it was announced that Bauman would publish a memoir titled *Stronger*, recounting his experiences after the bombing.
2. Aimee Mullins
Born with the same congenital condition as Oscar Pistorius, Aimee Mullins has achieved more in her life than most people could dream of. Despite being born without lower legs, she became the first amputee to compete on an NCAA track team while studying at Georgetown University and set several world records in Paralympic running before retiring from competitive sports. In 1999, she entered the world of fashion modeling, working with top designers such as Alexander McQueen and Kenneth Cole. *People* magazine named her one of their *50 Most Beautiful People*. But Mullins is much more than a model. She is also an actress, appearing in the 2006 film *World Trade Center*, with more projects slated for release in 2014.
Aimee is a relentless advocate for individuals with disabilities and is also a respected public speaker. She is widely recognized for her TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference appearances, where she shares her personal experiences and groundbreaking ideas related to healthcare.
1. Cameron Clapp
At a young age, Cameron Clapp tragically lost his legs and right arm due to an incident of teenage recklessness. At just 15 years old, while intoxicated, he wandered near railroad tracks in Arroyo Grande, California, where he collapsed. The oncoming train took both of his legs above the knees and his right arm near the shoulder. Initially, it was feared that he would not survive—emergency responders were deeply shaken by the severity of his injuries when they discovered him on the tracks. Doctors told him he could only hope to walk a few steps in his life, during rare moments like his graduation.
Cameron defied those expectations. From the moment he was introduced to prosthetics, he never returned to using a wheelchair. He has since become a skilled athlete, able to run, walk, swim, and even play golf. In addition, Clapp has appeared on multiple television shows and in the film *Stop-Loss*.
However, Cameron's greatest achievement has been helping others navigate the challenges of living with amputations. He is actively involved with the Amputee Coalition of America and has supported many disabled veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
