“People ask me all the time if choosing amputation was a hard decision,” Paul says. “Well, no. It was actually a very simple one. If I didn’t elect to do it, I’d be dead.”

For many people, amputation is the result of a sudden accident or traumatic injury. For Paul, it was something entirely different.

His journey unfolded over more than a decade, as a rare genetic neuropathy slowly took away his health. In 2009, everything changed. A blister from a 25-kilometer trail run led to months in the hospital and marked the beginning of a twelve-year cycle of surgeries, infections, hospitalizations, and progressive limb loss. “It was trying to kill me,” Paul says.

Eventually, Paul made a decision that many people struggle to imagine. He chose a bilateral amputation.

A Second Chance at Life

Paul became one of the first non-traumatic patients to undergo the Ewing Amputation procedure through a clinical study at MIT. The surgery removed the source of the recurring infections that had dominated his life for more than a decade.

The results were immediate.

“The four-and-a-half to five years since my surgery have been the healthiest of my life in over twenty years,” Paul says. “Amputation liberated me. It gave me a second chance at life.”

Today, at 63 years old, Paul says he is healthier and more adventurous than he has been in years.

Turning Experience into Purpose

Long before his health challenges, Paul built a successful career on Wall Street before transitioning into social impact investing.

After his amputation, he combined those experiences with his own lived perspective to create the Disabled Life Alliance and the Disabled Life Foundation, organizations dedicated to advancing disability innovation through education, advocacy, investment, and support for emerging technologies.

“I’ve taken my lived experience and my career experience and created organizations that are all about advancing disability innovation,” Paul explains.

Today, Paul works with researchers, startups, clinicians, investors, and nonprofit organizations to help bring new ideas to people living with disabilities. His organizations were recently recognized on Forbes’ Accessibility Innovation List, reflecting their growing impact within the disability community.

Discovering Limber

As someone deeply involved in disability innovation, Paul has evaluated countless new technologies. When he first learned about Limber, it wasn’t just the prosthesis that caught his attention.

“I wasn’t blown away by the technology,” he says. “I was blown away by the business model.”

He admired Limber’s approach of partnering directly with prosthetic clinics, creating a solution that benefits clinicians while making advanced prosthetic technology more affordable and accessible for patients.

When Paul received his first pair of Limber prostheses at Nunnery O&P, the experience exceeded his expectations.

“If I had closed my eyes when I first put them on, I probably wouldn’t have known I was in a different socket,” he says. “That was pretty spectacular.”

The precise imaging and fitting process allowed him to transition seamlessly into his new prostheses while experiencing a lighter, more naturally balanced gait than he had with traditional devices.

Although it took time to adjust to the more biologically weighted feel, Paul quickly came to appreciate the difference.

“It wasn’t until I started walking that I realized I was on something different.”

Living Without Limits

Today, Paul uses his Limber prostheses for much of his everyday life. The Limber Px1 allows him to stay active without constantly thinking about his prostheses.

Paul enjoys spending time at the beach, surfing, road racing, golfing, and competing in triathlons. He has completed multiple Boston Marathons and hopes to run one more after receiving new running blades.

Changing the Conversation

Paul believes that people living with disabilities have an opportunity to reshape how the world views disability.

He intentionally wears shorts year-round so people notice his prosthetic legs and ask questions. Rather than hiding his experience, he embraces it as a chance to educate others and advocate for greater understanding.

“I don’t think there is a loss,” Paul says. “If a limb is removed, it’s typically removed to save a life. So how is that a loss?”

Looking Ahead

For Paul, that optimism extends beyond his own journey. He sees technologies like the Limber Px1 as part of a future where innovative prosthetic care can help more people regain mobility, stay active, and move forward with confidence.

“Better days are ahead,” Paul says. “You’re in charge of your own perspective.”

It’s a perspective reflected in the way Paul lives each day—and in his belief that continued innovation can create better outcomes for people with limb difference.

“I think you guys are on to something,” Paul says of Limber. “The more you succeed, the better patient outcomes there are.”