Patient Story of: Neil McCahill

Osseointegration changed far more than the way I walk - it transformed the way I experienced becoming a father.

When my first child was born, I was still using a socket prosthesis. I had imagined that day for years, but the reality was very different. Throughout the delivery, I struggled simply to stand because of the pain caused by my socket and the phantom pain that accompanied it. Instead of being fully present for my wife during one of the most meaningful moments of our lives, much of my focus was on enduring the discomfort.

After my daughter was born, I was hesitant to stand and hold her. I didn't fully trust my socket and worried it might slip while I was carrying my newborn. One of the happiest moments of my life was overshadowed by fear, uncertainty, and pain.

After years of chronic pain and more than 45 surgeries, I underwent osseointegration surgery with Dr. S. Robert Rozbruch and his team at HSS in July 2024.

When my wife and I welcomed our second child in April 2026, the experience could not have been more different.

I was fully present throughout the delivery. The moment my son was born, I picked him up with complete confidence - without pain, hesitation, or fear. For the first time, I wasn't thinking about my leg. I was simply thinking about meeting my son.

Since then, I've been able to get out of bed in the middle of the night, attach my prosthesis in seconds, and help care for our newborn without a second thought. What once required planning, effort, and worry has become natural and effortless.

People often measure success after surgery by x-rays, clinical outcomes, or how far a patient can walk. For me, success is measured in moments like these. It's being able to hold my children with confidence. It's being fully present for my wife. It's being the husband and father I've always wanted to be, rather than worrying about whether my prosthesis might fail me or simply trying to manage the pain.

Osseointegration didn't make my life perfect, but it gave me back something I thought I had lost forever: the ability to fully participate in life's most meaningful moments.

That's what getting Back in the Game means to me. It's not just about walking better - it's about living fully, loving fully, and being present for the moments that matter most.