Spectrum

I’ve had my share of horrible experiences with ill-​fitting sockets and ill-​fitting technicians — Bill Shea is one of the greats. I have worked with Bill for going on 14 years, and he’s the only one who’s been able to fabricate a functioning, well-​made Below-​the-​Knee prosthetic device for me.
There was a period of about 2 years after Bill stopped servicing in San Francisco where I was forced to work with really inept people who left me in horrible pain for the entire 2 years, telling me there was nothing more they could do. After a 3^rd failed attempt by the aforementioned inept people, I called Bill, begging for him to help. He went (and drove) out of his way to do so.
After looking at my current device, he was able to locate the problem immediately, re-​cast me, and fitted me with a socket that relieved me of pain, and cleared up all the breakdowns I had developed from the piece of garbage I had before.
I’ve been a BK amputee for over 2 decades and have many people make sockets for me; I can say without a doubt that Bill Shea has been the best in his field. I’ve since moved to the East Coast, but Bill still calls to check in on me to see how I am doing.
Ultimately, I have always gotten the feeling that Bill really loves what he does and he cares about the quality of my life.
Thanks Bill!

At the age of 15, I was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. After a complicated limb salvage surgery that indicated my tumor broke off, I made the decision to have my leg amputated. The prosthetist that fit me for my very first prosthetic leg was kind and seemed to do everything as it should have been done. It wasn’t until a year and a half, walking only about once a month with the prosthetic, did I come to realize that I needed more than just a replacement leg. This is when I met Bill Shea. Working with Bill allowed me not just to learn about the leg I was using, but the dynamics of relearning to walk. He used a layperson’s language to helping me understand what this process was about and I was made to feel part of the building of this leg as opposed to just a customer. He talked me through what he was doing. This is what a good prosthetist does, he doesn’t just build a leg, he educates the client to ensure that we know how to advocate and take care of ourselves.
It goes without saying that choosing to be an amputee was not an easy decision. The journey to becoming an independent person again had its ebbs and flows. While Bill is not an amputee, his bedside manner and ability to listen and share his experiences with other amputees allowed me to explore the obstacles that got in the way of me being a two legged person again. On too many occasions, I recall Bill taking his time to ensure my leg was aligned just so. Till this day, about 20 years later, he continues to go above and beyond just building or adjusting my leg. He saw me through so many milestones from beginning to use my prosthetic leg on a daily basis, to walking across the platform on my graduation stage in college, to walking down the aisle for my wedding.
Like a reliable and honest car mechanic, once you have a prosthetist that works with you, you have to hold on to them with everything you got! A prosthetist is a resource for any amputee hoping to regain independence. I cannot imagine working with another prosthetist for any future prosthetic limbs. This process is so much more than working with construction materials, it’s intimate and therefore requires trust. I’m thankful Bill Shea is my prosthetist.