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For the sceptics, here’s a testimony from the only amputated policeman on both legs in North America and probably the world.
Matias Ferreira, 29 years old, lost both legs after stepping on a bomb while serving with the United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Now he is a policeman with the Suffolk County Police Department in Long Island, NY.
His motto: “The storm always passes.”
Here’s the timeline of the journey Matias Ferreira went through:
January 21, 2011:
After a multitude of surgeries, including the reconstruction of his pelvis and his femur, Ferreira received 2 artificial prostheses to replace his 2 legs and began an intensive rehabilitation. The U.S. Marines Corps have a rehabilitation program in which they sent him another amputee named Josh Wege, with whom Ferreira could spoke at length and be inspired. Ferreira understood that all the activities that Josh Wege could do, Ferreira could also do them for himself, such as playing sports, having a job, etc.
January 07, 2012:
Ferreira finished the Disney Half Marathon in 3 hours 54 minutes. Later that year, he travel through the United States with his Softball team called the “War Amputees”. After a softball tournament, he met his future wife at a bar called Katie’s located in Smith Town, New York. At that time, Ferreira made a phone call when he saw a dog in the bar. A girl called Tiffany came to care for the animal while explaining that it was “happy hour”, a time where dogs were allowed in the bar. Ferreira and Tiffany immediately liked each other, he who thought that no girl would ever talk to him.
October 14, 2015:
Ferreira and Tiffany got engaged and become the parents of a one year-old girl. While going to a family dinner after their rehearsal, Ferreira and his fiancé witnessed a road accident. A car was hit by a truck and was now emitting smoke.
A woman was screaming that her baby was in the back seat of the burning car. Ferreira ran to the car, taking a flashlight with him which helped him to see inside the burning car. He saw that the baby was unconscious and he immediately pulled it out of the car, saving the baby from certain death.
September 09, 2016:
Ferreira joined the Suffolk County Police Academy for intensive 29-week training. He had always wanted to become a policeman after his first choice of being a Marine.
Following thirty training sessions, he graduated first of his class.
March 24, 2017:
Police officer Ferreira joined the Suffolk County Police Department. According to Ferreira, there is always something positive in a serious accident and he adds: “If I live my life in secret and I hide my prostheses, nobody will know my perseverance and that they can do exactly like me. “