Student Plays Lacrosse With Titanium Leg

Just because Chandler Smith was born with no tibia doesn't mean he doesn't have a leg to stand on in the lacrosse field.

The Chaparral High School student is a goalie for the school's lacrosse team. He also plays on a titanium prosthetic right leg.

The 16-year-old was born with a condition called proximal femoral focal deficiency, which means he was born with no tibia and an underdeveloped femur. Most of his right leg was amputated when he was nine months old, and he got his first prosthetic when he was 18 months.

The active teen hardly lets the absence of his leg slow him down, he told the Press-Enterprise.

"I just go to my limit," he said. "If I think I can do something, I'l try it. If I can't, well, I can't."

Before Chandler settled into his position as goalie, he tried midfielder, but it didn't work out, his father, Richard Smith, told the newspaper.

"There's too much running," he said. "(Chandler) doesn't have great balance. He'd get laid out."

Chandler's parents support him in every sport he has tried. Last year, he gave wrestling a shot, and he may return to it.

Only one sport got a thumbs down from his parents: football. "My father was afraid I'd get hit and need major surgery."

The cost of Chandler's annually refitted prosthetics -- about $30,000 each -- is paid for by the Shriners Hospital for Children, but it one got damaged, his insurance would cover only a small part of the replacement.