Amputee Learns To Ice Skate With Help From Colorado Amateur Hockey Association

By Alan Gionet

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) – They were fragile moments. Amputee John Holman stood up to see if it would work. He steadied himself and took stride after stride.

"It is healing for my entire family," John Holman shared.

John was inspired after seeing a CBS4 story about how Coloradans are helping legally blind children play hockey. He wrote asking Alan Gionet if it would be possible for an amputee. Alan connected him with Doris Donley, VP of Adaptive Hockey with the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association. She made it happen.

"I tried to do a little a little research which really didn't help me," explained Doris.

Getting a prosthetic into a skate was one trick. Skating for John, another.

"It was just and trial and error," said Doris.

John lost his leg after a relatively short fall off a ladder led to complications. His amputation is above the knee. Not having a knee made the skating harder, but John was determined.

Doris had two experienced hockey players with the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association Tigers Triple A team guide John, figuring it was best to have experts on the ice with him.

"He was working really hard with those two young men and they were awesome together. He was like a sponge."

Skating is tough for anyone doing it for the first time. People tend to tense up.

"We watched him really try to make this work in his head, but the minute he relaxed it began working for him," said Doris. "The smile never left his face."

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John is the first amputee the adaptive hockey program has put upright on skates. Doris says they'd love to put a whole group on skates and start a program.

John will be back on the ice soon.

"Thank you for helping this dream become possible," he wrote. He shared his experience and expressed his gratitude in a post on Facebook.

Doris enjoyed it too. It's what she does.

"The joy leaked out of his eyes after he came off the ice," she said. That was the reward for her.

Here's a link to the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association: cohockey.org/caha

Alan Gionet is anchor of CBS4 This Morning and reports on a wide variety of issues and "Good Question" stories. He started at CBS4 in 1994. Follow Alan on Twitter @AlanGTV or on Facebook.