He loves to hike, bike, fish, hunt and camp. Recently, he’s shared those outdoors interests with a new generation of young boys.
Dustin leads a Trail Life USA troop as a troop master for 30 boys who work toward earning trail badges and learning life and survival skills. He mentors these boys to grow into resilient men.
Resiliency comes easily to Dustin. He was born with femur fibula ulna syndrome and fibular hemimelia. In essence, one leg had an extreme clubfoot, the other had severe bone deformities, and the three fingers on his right hand were webbed.
Dustin’s parents, Karly and Shawn, said they weren’t getting what they needed in their home state of Indiana. So, choosing to travel to Shriners Children’s St. Louis for care was an easy decision.
As a baby, physicians led surgeries to correct his hand and amputate his left leg. He adapted to using a prosthetic leg quickly. After all, he was an adventurous toddler.
As he grew into a young man, Dustin fell in love with sports. In high school, he was a three-sport athlete and a star on the wrestling mat.
However, when Dustin was 18 years old, it was apparent that his remaining leg, the one with clubfoot, was not supporting him well. He made the difficult decision, at that point, to have his right leg amputated.
His Shriners Children’s St. Louis team supported him in this choice. This surgery would help him gain better functionality with a prosthetic.
Dustin became a double below-the-knee amputee. Though, titles can’t define him.
I am a firm believer that the only thing between what you can and cannot do is yourself.
“With this in mind, I try to plant positive thoughts that will hopefully grow and help others to become better,” said Dustin.
Dustin uses that motivation to advocate for others who live with differences. At 25 years old, this young man sees gaps in what’s available to his peers who adapt to live their fullest lives.
He stretches his abilities to adapt to everyday life and being an outdoorsman. However, where he volunteers in the community has proven to be the real test. “When I am not on an adventure, I am a volunteer firefighter and EMT in my hometown,” he said.
Dustin had to adapt techniques and equipment to complete his firefighter training. However, he finds great reward in helping those in emergency situations. As it turns out, it was Dustin's choice to amputate his second leg that likely led him to this opportunity.
“With Dustin's choice to be a firefighter, the prosthetic options for him maximized his function. With the residual deformity and stiffness in his lower extremities prior to amputation, I don't think he would have been able to fulfill the high demands of a firefighting job,” said Mark Miller, M.D.
Dustin’s goal is to climb former and current wildfire lookout towers across the country. He admits stairs can be an amputee’s worst nightmare. So, he chose lookout towers as a challenge. So far, he’s climbed towers all over Indiana.
“I’ve always been told the things I do can inspire others. I finally realized this and wanted to share my experiences to help others while I have fun,” Dustin said.
Dustin uses trekking poles to balance as he hikes Turkey Run State Park in Marshall, Indiana.
Dustin mentors Preston, another amputee, at Shriners Children's St. Louis.
Dustin pedals his bike with the help of his two prosthetic legs.
Dustin smiles to the camera in his Trail Life USA uniform.
