Injured veterans get in-depth care from new Tampa non-profit

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Veterans who are amputees often feel isolated and lonely, but a one-of-a-kind prosthetics facility is changing the lives of these injured veterans.

Wounded veteran Quincy Lopez let FOX 13 sit in on his grueling workout. He was injured in combat in Iraq.

"A bunch of IEDs went off, causing some microfractures, head injuries, and [I] had a lot of surgeries afterward," said Lopez.

His health, and his outlook, are improving thanks to a new non-profit that provides prosthetics and other services to injured vets.

"We're trying to get them re-engaged so that they see that there is a new norm after amputation," explained Arlene Gillis International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics. "They can get back into physical activities."

The facility has educational and clinical service programs that will help vets transition into the civilian workforce, as well.

"The ultimate goal is really to have those amputees go out and reinforce to others, be peers, mentors so that they can show whatever community that they go that there's hope," said Gillis.

For injured veteran Richard Cicero, the program has been life-changing.

"For those who are considering what life might be like or what their limitations are, now we can change that whole concept and make us handi-capable instead of handicapped," Cicero said.