VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – A young man in Vista made a tough decision to amputate his leg nearly 10 years ago when he was in middle school. But he said that didn't slow down his future.
Andrew Seelhoff’s walking a path not chosen by many, working on getting a Ph.D.
“I’m excited to be able to work on things are going to make a difference sooner rather than later,” Seelhoff said.
“I think I just decided towards the end, as I was getting into my last years of undergrad, that for what I want to do and to go into design prosthetic limbs and things," he said. "I really needed to get some true research experience and kind of broaden my academic knowledge.”
Seelhoff told ABC 10News it’d take roughly five years to get his Ph.D., and it’s a path he has a personal connection to.
Several years ago, ABC 10News told you he made the tough call to have his right leg amputated at 13 years old after battling a painful and debilitating vascular condition.
“It’s funny because yesterday what popped up on my Facebook feed was it’s been nine years since to the day yesterday it was his second-day being pain-free," Mary Seelhoff, Andrew's mother, said. "And I got overwhelmed and actually sat and cried for a couple of minutes.”
Years later, Andrew's graduated from MIT and is heading to get his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan.
“Obviously, being an amputee, it’s kind very much intertwined how I got into this position and why I want to go into it," Seelhoff said. "It’s also just now that I’ve gotten into learning about how they’re designed and controlled and everything; it’s something that I ‘m truly passionate about."
“So it’s so wonderful to see him so excited about his future and about prosthetics and just where this has all taken him,” Mary Seelhoff said. “We’ve just come so far, so it’s really exciting to watch.”
A proud parent sees their child walking their own path.
“It’s very fulfilling to kind of be able to pay it forward after all the support I’ve had over the years through surgeries and post-operation and stuff. So, definitely nice to kind of close the loop on it,” Andrew Seelhoff said.
Seelhoff told ABC 10News he’d start his Ph.D. program at the end of August
