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As an amputee, I rely a lot on technology.
What matters most to me is how well I can use it outdoors,
to live life to its fullest and to be happy.
To be able to do what my friends do has driven me to prove myself,
and that's made me so much better than I would've been.
It sounds crazy, but I'm grate- ful to be an amputee.
I love it.
We found out I had bone cancer. From there it was a whirlwind.
We were rushed to the hospital into all these tests—
had no idea what to expect or what it could imply.
We were led to think it wasn't a big deal to remove the tumor
or go on living life.
I was given three options:
artificial knee joint, donor bone replacement, and
amputation. I evaluated it and chose amputation.
Surprise!
I got a really good phone call.
I'd only been home from the hospital one day, I think.
It was my best friend.
I answered the phone; he asked if I was going to the dance.
I was like, "Dude, I just lost my leg."
He replied, "Oh yeah, I forgot. So are you coming?"
From that moment, I got out of bed and said, "I'm living life."
I was told I wouldn't ride a mountain bike anymore.
I wouldn't be able to rock climb or do things that mattered, then.
Since then, I've done all those things. I've never given up.
I never accepted that "Well, you can't do this."
I went and got a job at a machine shop.
Once I learned everything I could from that shop,
I got a job in aerospace, and I started learning CAD design
and how to put things together and be able to create ideas
to the expectations that I had in my mind.
I was told I'd never have this again.
That takes away a huge part of someone's soul.
I try to not just create products
that make it possible for people to get part of their soul back,
but I also try to show them it's possible to do those things.
Even though my body may not be normal,
my mind is normal. I'm a normal guy; you can talk to me.
I've been locked in the same Halloween costume for 8 years
now; I built a peg leg and went to a party as a pirate. And
since then, I can't do anything else.
People are like, "Where's the pirate?"
Trying keep up with my kids is a bit hard as an amputee,
but they love making me run after 'em, and I'm just grateful.
As a 14-year-old, being told I could die at any time,
and watching friends I'd made in the hospital not
show up anymore because they passed away,
and seeing how fragile life really is—
that can be rough as a kid.
But it taught me something I'll never forget in life.
When things get hard,
and it seems like there are no logical answers,
I have an answer that's proven proven itself through experience:
that God loves me and wants what's best for all of us.
If we just trust Him, we'll be all right.
We'll be all right.
I'm Jarem Frye.
I'm a cancer survivor,
I'm an athlete,
I'm an innovator, and
I'm a Mormon.