My name is Justin Salvatera and I have been an amputee for over 20 years. When I was a child, only 12 years old, I lost my leg due to cancer. I had a bone tumor, and it was tough, but we were really fortunate to catch it early. I had a slow recovery due to some other medical things, so I was on crutches for a long time. When I did finally get a prosthesis, it was really a big day, it was certainly a new way of life.
When you become an amputee you’re an amputee forever, it kind of changes who you are, it changes you in a big way. It became part of my identity, where I grew up, I was the only other amputee I knew. So, it was cool when I moved to Philadelphia years ago and I just googled looking for a good prosthetist and I found and went to some other prosthetic companies first, but I did not get the care that you expect that you would get from a family-owned company. But luckily, I found out that there was a Lawall office here and I started working with the Lawall family.
It is like a giant community of support. When I first came to work at Lawall, I came in for my first appointment and Jack was here he immediately made me feel comfortable and assured me that we were going to make a leg that fits right.
I was living an active lifestyle at the time, I was a chef, and I was working long days and hours, so having a proper fit on the leg was critical. I am incredibly grateful for the Lawall family, it is such an incredible family company, to begin with and it’s great to be a part of that. I would recommend Lawall to any amputee, anybody who is looking for orthotic or prosthetic services the level of care the level of passion I have not found anywhere else it is an incredibly special place.
As a Lawall Team member, Prosthetic-Orthotic Technician Justin Salvaterra has had plenty of opportunities to test and compare a variety of lower limb prosthetic types and designs.
Technological advancement has continued to explode as the decades pass, with something new and exciting growing weekly. The field of prosthetics has not been immune to these improvements, either, seeing significant advancements that improve not only the accessibility of prosthetics but also their capability and safety.
A high-energy, cut-to-the-chase problem solver, Rubio was active as trial advocate, litigator and negotiator on behalf of clients at his law practice in Upper Darby, PA. He was physically active, too, with his favorite activities including rock climbing, skydiving, whitewater rafting, and cycling. Just-married (17 days), he was on his way to his obstetrician/gynecologist wife’s graduation ceremony when everything changed in an instant: A negligent driver strayed from her lane and crashed into Rubio’s motorcycle (then into another car and the guardrail), sending him airborne. He sustained multiple serious injuries that left him in a coma for 13 days, awakening with virtually no memory of the accident or its aftermath.
