Chris Osborne: Writing Your Own Story

Changing the perception from disability to ability and providing hope in any circumstance, whether an amputation or another challenge, is Chris Osborne's mission.

Photograph by Genie McElroy.

As a reporter, you never want to become the news, Chris Osborne says, but that is exactly what happened to him in July 2004. At the time, he was working as a television news reporter for ABC 33/40, the Birmingham, Alabama, ABC affiliate, when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident while riding his Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. Osborne was transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital in serious condition; he underwent a left transfemoral amputation as a result of the accident. Not one to be held down, Osborne was hospitalized for only about one week before undergoing a brief stint of inpatient therapy. After his discharge he completed an additional five months of outpatient rehabilitation. He was fitted for a prosthesis at the UAB O&P lab, where he says the staff advocated for him to receive an advanced prosthesis, citing his active lifestyle. "I was able to receive a C-Leg, which at the time was state-of-the-art technology, and it was uncommon for a new amputee to get one," he says. "I actually flew to the Ottobock [Minneapolis, Minnesota] lab with my prosthetist, and I was able to record that visit and my first steps in a prosthesis." Because of his high-profile position in front of a camera, the accident and Osborne's rehabilitation became a "very public ordeal," he says. "The community was very supportive—viewers, friends, colleagues, and family, of course." The story of his recovery was later shown on air. "Being able to share that story, I thought, and still to this day hope, [that I] was able to inspire some people…[W]hat can be considered a disability can actually be turned to ability." During therapy, Osborne went from using two crutches to one, then a cane, finally learning to walk using his prosthesis without mobility aids after about two months. He attributes his fast recovery to having a strong faith in God and never questioning why the accident happened. He says, too, that there are risks involved when riding a motorcycle, of which every rider should be aware. "I was prepared for that [risk]," he says. "With the right attitude, right faith, and right drive you can overcome…challenges," Osborne says. He credits his upbringing and the community in which he was raised for giving him that perseverance—which is one of his college fraternity's four cardinal principles: manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. "I have some really awesome parents," Osborne says, calling them pioneers of sorts for their own accomplishments. "So certainly seeing them having a long-lasting relationship and partnership and raising four children that all have college degrees, and some with advanced degrees, was a great motivation—not to mention growing up in a very spiritual family, attending church quite a bit, and growing up in a good community atmosphere where everyone had the well-being of the children in the community at heart." Changing Perceptions One of the ways in which Osborne is changing perceptions of disability to ability is by playing golf. He started playing when he was about 12 years old. As a teenager, he joined his father on the links when he and their church friends went to play. During his college years at Tennessee State University, Nashville, he put his clubs away but continued an active and busy lifestyle: He ran track, focused on his studies as an honor student, participated in his fraternity, and also worked at a radio station and then a television station. When he became a working adult, he picked the game up again on a leisurely basis, playing one to two times a month. Since his amputation, however, he not only plays more—two to three times a week—but he says using a prosthetic leg has actually improved his game. "I am forced to think about things like posture, balance, and hand-eye coordination with the ball," Osborne explains. "Having to focus more on those pieces has improved my golf game tremendously. Osborne takes a swing. Photograph courtesy of Chris Osborne.

"My dream is to play competitively and to compete, and not just be a guy who is out on the course. As long as I can match the field, I think I am doing well and kind of living the dream of being able to play in different tournaments, whether it is long drive, match play, or stroke play." Osborne started participating in amputee association golf tournaments in 2010. His first tournament was the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA) tournament at Gaylord Springs Golf Links, Nashville. He shot a 338 in three rounds, scoring at the bottom of the ranks in the above-knee division. His game has improved in the ensuing years, and he has since been introduced to another aspect of the sport: long drive competition, where competitors try to drive the golf ball the farthest. Osborne says it was through the NAGA golf network that he met Dean Jarvis, the founder and director of the Amputee Long Drive Championship (ALDC), and an amputee himself. "I got a chance to meet Dean, and he presented me with this opportunity to compete in long drive, and I thought, 'You know, that would be a fun thing to do,'" Osborne says. "[M]y regular able-bodied golf group always have said that I hit the ball fairly long and so I thought…'Let's give it a try.'" During that first ALDC tournament, held in July 2013 in Tennessee, Osborne says he didn't hit the ball as well as he had hoped. "It came down to my last ball, which was long enough to win by five yards but sailed out of bounds at the last second, leaving me empty handed," he recalls. Since then, Osborne has also competed in May's Mesquite ParaLong Drive Nationals, Nevada. Each golfer takes part in a three-round super qualifier in which they have two minutes and 45 seconds to hit six golf balls down a 60-yard-wide, 400-yard-long grid, and then the best in each category compete in a match play competition. Osborne took first place and the championship in the above-knee amputee division with a 332-yard drive. He bested his personal record by six yards, and now has his sights set on forthcoming competitions. "I'm preparing for the World Long Drive Championship in Mesquite in October, with a few stroke play events in between" Osborne says. Osborne also has interests and hobbies off the links: He still rides a motorcycle, and enjoys hunting, boating, and spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and young children, William and Olivia Grace. He even coaches William's baseball team. He says hunting can be a challenge due to having to traverse varying terrains, which is complicated somewhat by carrying a rifle. He recounts how he once stepped in a mud hole and got stuck, requiring assistance from a friend to free himself. As with golf, riding his motorcycle requires some additional thought. He says he has to think about always leaning to his sound side when stopping, for instance, rather than putting both feet on the ground at a stoplight. He also had his bike modified so he could shift gears without using his left foot to work the shifter. "The bike is fitted with a Pingel electric shifter," Osborne explains, "which still provides the rider with the ability to shift up or down with as much control as shifting gears the standard way." Giving Back Osborne is still in the news and in front of a video camera at times, albeit in a different capacity. He has garnered some media attention for his golfing; since 2007 he has been working for the American Red Cross; and in 2010 he was one of ten people who shared stories of triumph in Mutual of Omaha commercials that were part of the company's Aha Moment Campaign highlighting inspirational stories. He is currently the regional communications officer for the American Red Cross Alabama Region. Osborne says that he sought out a different career after his accident, something with a slower pace, because he knew climbing in and out of a news van multiple times a day would be tiring when using a prosthesis. Although he might have a bit more time behind a desk now than he did as a newscaster, "the Red Cross is not slower paced," he says. As a member of the Red Cross national spokesperson team, he travels to disaster areas as a liaison for national and international media and again occasionally finds himself in front of a camera. Osborne takes heed from his upbringing to give back to the community as well. He is a motivational speaker, a mentor, and former president of the Willie P. Osborne Foundation, a nonprofit foundation named for his late father that works to provide opportunities for youth and adults. "[Chris] has a great sense of humor and…is a great family man and very likable, even by those who compete against him," Jarvis says. "[E]veryone pulls for him to do well in everything he does." Osborne adds that he also works closely with the UAB O&P lab to talk with new amputees or individuals about to undergo amputation. "[T]hey call me, and if there is someone who is dealing with a possible amputation or recent amputation, sometimes they will ask me to come and consult with that patient and talk to them and give them a bird's eye view of what to expect."

Chris Osborne: Writing Your Own Story

Product Previews and More

Prosthetic Arm Concept Wins in Student Thermoforming Competition

Prosthetic Arm Concept Wins in Student Thermoforming Competition

O&P JOBS

Certified Prosthetist / Prosthetist-Orthotist (CP/CPO) Gates Prosthetics + Mobility Clinic — Mountain Home, AR

Clinic Manager – Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO) – Rogers, AR

CPO

Get unlimited access!

EDGE DIRECT

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password

Not enough quota to unlock this post

Chris Osborne: Writing Your Own Story

Support authors and subscribe to content.

Subscribe

Related posts:

Product Previews and More

Prosthetic Arm Concept Wins in Student Thermoforming Competition

Prosthetic Arm Concept Wins in Student Thermoforming Competition

O&P JOBS

Certified Prosthetist / Prosthetist-Orthotist (CP/CPO) Gates Prosthetics + Mobility Clinic — Mountain Home, AR

Clinic Manager – Certified Prosthetist Orthotist (CPO) – Rogers, AR

CPO

Get unlimited access!

EDGE DIRECT

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password

Not enough quota to unlock this post