Years Later Tom Nathe Still Has a Pep in His Step

"A body in motion, stays in motion."

These are the words that Tom Nathe from Sauk Centre lives by.

 Upon meeting Tom, you wouldn't notice that almost 17 years ago on September 1997, his life changed when he was involved in a work related accident while trying to install an underground electrical line.

Initially Nathe, then 50, required an amputation below his left knee. However after numerous revisions to his prosthesis throughout 1998, his doctor recommended another surgery to remove approximately 2 1/2” to 3” of bone above the knee. This second surgery took place in December of 1998 and from there began his new life with a prosthetic leg.

Nathe began walking on an older model hydraulic limb that unfortunately provided limited stability and often led to his knee buckling if he wasn't careful walking around certain terrain.

"I was having accidents where my knee would buckle and I would just fall down," said Nathe.

This all changed in April 2000 when he decided try a new product that at the time was recently introduced to the US market.

The C-leg is a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg that is made by a company in Germany. Nathe was only the third person in Minnesota and the first in the St. Cloud area to receive this new computerized artificial knee and shin. The limbs joint is controlled by a microprocessor that allows the C-leg to read Nathe’s gait and movement at a rate of 50 times a second.

In life we often are faced with challenges and this was no different for Nathe. After going through his multiple surgeries, he was faced with more challenges as he had a house fire in 2001 and later that year his wife of 46 years, Jean, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like his wife did with his many surgeries, Tom was there for her every step of the way as she went on to beat the cancer.

Like the motto he has, Tom kept moving on with a smile on his face and his new C-leg that allowed him to walk with more freedom and with less worry that he may fall.  “It’s easier to go on walks with my wife and to do stuff with my kids and grandchildren,” Nathe has 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. He even got to get back on the golf course with his friends from work.

Nathe wasn’t going to let his prosthetic leg slow him down, soon after the surgeries he went back to work and would often speak to others in the industry to make sure the same accident doesn’t happen to them.

Nathe has been retired now for 12 years but don’t think he has stopped moving, he still works several part time jobs which include driving a bus, helping out with farming and being a hospice volunteer which he says is “the most rewarding experience,” and in his free time he is hunting, fishing and spending quality time with his loved ones. Just like he has in the past, Nathe continues to enjoy his life with a smile on his face, “everything I do is fun”.