September 8, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to express my highest regard for the work and professionalism of Dino LaCapria, owner of Orange Coast Prosthetics, Inc. I have been a double amputee for 31 years of which Mr. LaCapria has been my prosthetist for the past nine years.

I have had four prosthetists with Mr. LaCapria being the most recent. Over the years, Mr. LaCapria has made four sets of legs for me, making adaptations each time to accommodate changes in my stumps and enhancing performance. The prosthetic legs he has crafted for me are functionally the closest to my real legs over any others that I have experienced.

I would like to tell you about myself so that you will better understand what a difference Mr. LaCapria’s skills have meant to my life. I am now retired but when I met him, I was the owner of a distribution warehouse business. I also was a competition golfer, adaptive ski instructor, bicyclist, and Goldwing motorcyclist. I’m a U.S. Army veteran and former volunteer amputee golf instructor for the Veterans Administration.

One of the first things that Mr. LaCapria was able to solve for me was improving my ski legs so that I was able to ski backwards, allowing me to become a professional adaptive ski instructor.

The comfort and functionality of the legs Mr. LaCapria made for me allowed me to maintain a very rigorous schedule of activities and have the life I want. My right leg in particular is filled with scar tissue and extremely difficult to fit. Mr. LaCapria’s door was always open to me when I needed his help and he would respond quickly whenever I called. He has a very special talent for listening to my description of a problem and putting it together with his skills and knowledge to come up with a workable solution. This ability is rare in any prosthetist but uncanny in a non-amputee.

From the very first pair of legs he made for me, I knew I had found a remarkably talented and dedicated prosthetist. Although I live in Seattle now, I will always return to Southern California so that I can continue to have my legs crafted by Mr. LaCapria.

Sincerely,

Ronald C. Harding

My name is Tony Parish, and I have been an AK amputee since 1992. For the last seven years, because of the great work of Mr. Dino La Capria and the support of the VA Long Beach Prosthetic clinic, I have been able to deploy as a Department of Defense civilian all over the world. I have travelled on-board ship and military aircraft throughout the war-time theater.  I am currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq participating in daily Convoy Security Operations and providing oversight on multiple security contracts for DoD.

Without the assurance of a good quality prosthetic and proper fitting, I would never have been able to do the things I do now. I take to the air in helicopters, travel on convoys and perform multiple site visits to forward operating bases. My microprocessor knee is remarkable.  The difference it has made in my everyday life is amazing. I now can maneuver down stairs and declines with the greatest of ease. I have traversed a high rope course in Colorado, (30 feet above the ground), and even have gone ice skating.  It is absolutely amazing. I really want to emphasize the fact that I could never have thought about doing any of these things without having the confidence in the fit and function of my prosthetic or the awesome support of my prosthetist Dino LaCapria at Orange Coast Prosthetics and the folks at the Long Beach VAMC amputee clinic.

Their dedication to veterans stands head and shoulders above the crowd, and that is why I will continue traveling from Bagdad, or anywhere else in the world, to see them for all my prosthetic needs.  Dino, Dr. Kaplan, Ed, Russ and Dana are truly outstanding professionals. They have a unique but caring style that makes me feel very comfortable and equal. It is good to see professionals that are still very human and genuine, while at the same time, meticulous. Thank you once again for everything you guys have done for me! 

Yours truly,

Tony Parish

​Hear From Our Patients

Dino:

There are no such words to express how truly thankful I am. It brings  tears to my eyes knowing what you did that no one else was willing to do. It is very touching because you did not care about the money or whether I had insurance. It seemed like you just looked passed that. Like you were willing to help me and rescue me from my depression. For so long I had been depressed, like I thought, “is life really worth living?” 

But after getting my new and improved leg, my depression disappeared. I felt like I could do more with my life—that I did not have to feel envious of others. 

THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart. I am so thankful and I hope and pray that your company spreads not just all over the county, but all over the world. I thank you Dino LaCapria with all my heart.

Alexus

Dino,

This is me deep into the Argentina Patagonia region on my way to the tip of South
America. I was never worried about my leg, but rather, would there be any gas for the next 300 miles. I went 6000 miles on that trip with 2000 of that in the dirt.

Right now we're getting our buggy ready for the Baja 1000 and looking forward to defending our crown.

As a military amputee since 1964, I've been through every available combination of prosthetic systems and lots of leg makers, poor to excellent. With you, I know I always have the best of both. I really appreciate your talents a lot.

Sincerely,

Bruce Conrad
President
F&L Racing Fuels

Tustin Forest Products, Inc.
DVBE/SB/MB #46404
1601 Sierra Alta Drive
Santa Ana, CA  92705
 

February 18, 2009

Dino La Capria
Orange Coast Prosthetics
2324 North Batavia Unit 104
Orange, CA  92865
Dear Dino,

I want to thank you on behalf of my family and myself for the support and encouragement that I have received from you and your company.  Since we established our relationship some nine years ago, the quality of life that I have achieved as an above knee amputee can be best described as a quantum leap versus the previous 25 years of prosthetic treatment by other prosthetic companies.

To provide for the needs of the amputee, it is essential that the provider establish a personal relationship.  This is most important in terms of the fabrication and fitting process.  One might be a talented prosthetist, but if one is required to send their design off-site to a central fabrication facility where no one even knows your name or takes ownership in your case, quality fitting is completely compromised.  Believe me, I’ve been there.  Your skills and expertise in fabrication and fitting are the best, and my ability to work 18 pain free hours a day prove it!

From mountain biking with my son, a 10 golf handicap, cat 9 trail hiking, to being competitive in many other sports, it has been you and your company that has enabled my performance.  I receive comments from people that I’ve known for some time that say, “I never knew you are an amputee.”  It doesn’t get much better then that!

Sincerely,
 
Michael Bronson
President
Tustin Forest Products
A Certified Service Connected Disabled Business Enterprise