Vicki Boteler

“I call him my miracle man because he does magic,” said Vicki Lynn Boteler of Matt Bulow. Boteler became a below-the-knee amputee after a horse accident in 1997. Prior to her accident, Vicki taught aerobics, was a surgical nurse, water skier, walked four miles a day and rode and showed horses. In August 1997, within five minutes, her life was changed after her horse spooked, reared up and came down on her right ankle nearly amputating it on the scene.

Vicki spent eleven years undergoing twelve surgeries, including a total ankle replacement trying to save her ankle. In 1999, she made the decision to amputate after doctors gave her no other alternative fearing infection. After spending many years on and off crutches in chronic pain following her amputation, Vicki went to the local library and got on the Internet in search of a solution. Online she found Matt Bulow and Bulow BioTech Prosthetics.

“After reading Matt’s story about being an amputee himself, his patients’ stories and what they said about him, I called and made an appointment,” said Vicki. “The very first visit I had with him was overwhelming. He sat me down and explained everything. Then he told me, ‘I’m going to make you a leg and you are going to walk out today,’ and he did.”

Vicki remembers how anxious she was to receive her new prosthesis, “He told me to go ride around for three hours and come back and it would be ready. I couldn’t believe it.”

At age 55, with osteoporosis and chronic pain, Vicki is a complicated case. “Matt has redone my prosthesis five times because he is a perfectionist, and he wants to get it right. He really has gone out of his way to make me comfortable.”

Not only does Vicki call Matt her miracle worker, she also calls him her lifesaver. “Before, I had been in chronic depression because all of the pain. I had no quality of life,” stated Vicki. “I almost committed suicide because I thought to myself, ‘If I can’t get back to where I was, what is the use of living.’”

Because of Matt and his caring staff, Vicki will never feel that low again. “They will schedule your appointment according to your needs and your convenience,” said Vicki. “I have called late a night because I’m hurting, and they will tell me to come first thing in the morning. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is.”

Today, Vicki is able to walk four miles a day again. Her prosthesis is the Silhouette^® VS foot with a bendable ankle and a cover to look like skin. “His goal was to make me like I used to be,” said Vicki. “Matt even told me he could help me to run again if I wanted to, but I’m older and don’t need to run anymore. I’m happy the way he has made me now.”

Vicki will continue to drive the three hours from Owensboro, Kentucky, to see Matt and his staff because of the care they give her. “I tell Matt, ‘You are going to treat me for the rest of your life,’ and he replies, ‘So I’m supposed to treat you like you’re my only patient?’ said Vicki. “I always say back, ‘You already do.’”