COLUMBUS, Ohio — At age 12, doctors diagnosed Marion native Broc Potts with bone cancer and had his right leg amputated above the knee. 

As the years progressed, Potts adjusted to his new limb, even playing golf and discus. But in recent years, the friction and pressure of his body weight on the limb made taking steps painful. 

What You Need To Know

  • Potts, now 31 and a father of six, reached out to an old friend — the man he said saved his life: Ohio State James Cancer Center orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joel Mayerson

  • Mayerson and his team had been working on a new surgery and a snap-on prosthesis that allows a patient to move with no restrictions and pain from blisters

  • Both hope the surgery does what it did for Potts: helping cancer survivors continue to live their life comfortably

“I started having a lot of these issues with my leg and having all these blisters, and then it was getting to the point where it was bothering my work, it would get in the way of my family time,” says Potts. 

So Potts, now 31 and a father of six, reached out to an old friend — the man he said saved his life: Ohio State James Cancer Center orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joel Mayerson. 

Mayerson and his team had been working on a new surgery and a snap-on prosthesis that allows a patient to move with no restrictions and pain from blisters. 

Mayerson said the way Osseointegration works is a metal bar is anchored to the bone, and then attached to a high-tech artificial limb. 

The longtime surgeon said he hopes the procedure can also help wounded warriors. 

“We hope wounded warriors who may not be able to get access in other places will be able to come here and have this prosthesis put into place and help them get function back in their life,” said Mayerson. 

Mayerson and Potts worked together over the last year to rehab and adjust to the new limb, along with its three speeds. 

Potts remains cancer-free, is able to live comfortably and return to things he loves, like carpentry and going to the zoo with his family. 

Both said they take great pride in this friendship that's lasted more than two decades. 

“He was a young kid when I first started taking care of him, and now he's an adult with his own family. It's incredibly rewarding to see people have a normal quality of life and to survive their cancer and to know that I had a part in doing that,” Mayerson. 

“If it wasn't, you know, for his hard work and all the stuff that he does, you know I wouldn't be here today. I owe him everything. I trust him for everything I have,” said Potts.