Italian amputee surfer with new leg from Ventura makes waves in Huntington Beach
Fabrizio Passetti, an amputee surfer from Italy, couldn't stop grinning when he saw his new prosthetic leg.
"The feeling is good," Passetti said inside the Channel Islands Prosthetics-Orthotics office on Market Street in Ventura last week. "I think it's perfect. I love this. I'm so happy."
Passetti, 41, represented Team Italy this week in the International Surfing Association World Para Surfing Championship in Huntington Beach, which ends Friday. Before taking part in the competition, he stopped in Ventura on Nov. 2 to be fitted for his right leg.
The nonprofit group Challenged Athletes Foundation put Passetti in touch with the Ventura company, which donated the prosthetic leg. It wasn’t the first donation by the business.
Passetti needed a walking leg last year for the same event and the firm donated one, which took about two days to build and was worth $20,000, said Keith Severson, a director of patient care and services for Achilles Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc. The company acquired Channel Islands Prosthetics-Orthotics less than a year ago.
Assisting Passetti inside the office last week was Dino LaCapria, a certified prosthetist, and Severson.
The custom-built leg with carbon fiber and stainless steel bolts ― so it doesn't rust in the water — cost about $50,000 and took about two weeks to create, Severson said.
"It's built for saltwater and the roughness of surfing," he said. "It's built to last many years and he surfs almost every day."
Passetti competed in Huntington Beach on Monday and Wednesday, though did not advance to the semifinals in his division, according to the ISA website. His division is for surfers who ride waves in a standing position with a below-the-knee amputation or similar condition.
Unexpected detours
Getting the new leg last week was a highlight. But everything hasn't been cheery for Passetti, who currently works and lives as a chef in Bali, Indonesia.
Passetti was born in Genoa, Italy and learned to surf as a teenager in Varazze with the hopes of becoming a professional. He lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at age 17. A doctor told him the leg would have to be amputated.
"Every day was a high fever and my leg was doing really bad, I knew," said Passetti, who speaks English as a second language. "I remember I didn't cry. ...I said, 'Just let me know when I can come back to surf.' The doctor said, 'I don't know about that.'"
For a couple of years, the infection in his leg didn’t heal properly, Passetti said. He went to Switzerland for treatment and found someone to properly clean and treat the bone.
After the treatment, he was able to walk again with a prosthetic leg ― his amputation stops in the middle of his kneecap — and became a chef working in Italy and other countries.
In the meantime, he tried to surf again having found sponsors to support him in competitions. But Passetti suffered knee infections from using prosthetic legs not meant for surfing.
During the pandemic, he got depressed when he wasn't able to surf, work as a chef or provide for his family. His mental health forced him to stay at an Italian hospital for months.
"I cannot surf again,” Passetti recalled thinking. “I cannot take care of my son because I cannot work in the restaurant. I lose a sponsor and I need...prosthetics for a new leg."
During his stay in the hospital, he eventually contacted a nonprofit that put him in touch with the Ventura location last year.
Passetti has since resumed surfing and is working as a chef.
“I have everything I need now,” he said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Italian amputee surfer gets new leg in Ventura for competition
