By KEVIN COUTURE
LAKE PLACID -- Discovering Mountain Orthotic and Prosthetic Services may have been the luckiest day of Chris Williams's 18-year-old life.
Williams, a Moriah Central School senior and varsity football player, lost his right big toe and the one next to it in a freakish lawn-mower accident when he was just 5 years old.
Even though he has been playing the sport for a while, his final year on the football field certainly has been the smoothest thanks to Jeff Erenstone, who, along with his family, opened Mountain Orthotic and Prosthetic Services a little more than a year ago.
"He hadn't used any prosthetic before now, but he was feeling that he was being limited because of his amputation," Erenstone explained. "He wasn't able to run as fast as some people on his team."
Talking on his cell phone, the teenager said, "It feels great being able to play and be able to use it (the prosthetic) this year. I believe it has helped my abilities, and playing football with it is great."
Orthotic is the use of devices such as braces to assist with weakening of body parts. Prosthetic is actually replacing the body part.
With a combination of over-the-counter and custom-made products, Erenstone is able to serve a large and varying clientele.
"We have a facility here to custom make, and we can really make a variety of things out of plastic materials. Lately I've been working a lot with carbon fibers with a lot of success," the Lake Placid native said.
Williams's prosthetic big toe insert was a custom contour with extra padding for the middle and front of his foot.
Working a lot with diabetes patients and stroke victims, Erenstone said that he has many clients who have been involved in lumberjack and construction accidents.
"It's definitely a rough-and-tumble North Country," he said. "Unfortunately, accidents happen, and I'm kind of on the side that gets people up and going again."
Williams conceded that he had his doubts.
"When my coach first told me that someone could do this, the prosthetic, I was happy, but I didn't know if it would really work. But I was willing to give it a try."
Erenstone has worked with amputee athletes through his experience with Camp No Limits, a summer camp for youthful amputee athletes, and with the Extremity Games, a competition for Amputee Athletes similar to the X Games.
Mountain Orthotic and Prosthetic Services is located at 7 Old Military Road in Lake Placid and can be reached at 523-2419.
kcountry@primelink1.net
