--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first time the doctors put on my…" description: "\"The first time the doctors put on my prosthetic legs they made me much taller than I'd ever been. I then remember the doctor saying 'we need to shorten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/alex-zanardi-5103_doctor_the-first-time-the-doctors-put-on-my-pro_1575478.jpg" --- # The first time the doctors put on my prosthetic legs they… ![“The first time the doctors put on my prosthetic legs they made me much taller than I'd ever been. I then remember the doctor saying 'we need to shorten this man' and we all were in hysterics.” quote by Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/alex-zanardi-5103_doctor_the-first-time-the-doctors-put-on-my-pro_1575478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/alex-zanardi-5103_doctor_the-first-time-the-doctors-put-on-my-pro_1575478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/alex-zanardi-5103_doctor_the-first-time-the-doctors-put-on-my-pro_1575478.jpg) > “The first time the doctors put on my prosthetic legs they made me much taller than I'd ever been. I then remember the doctor saying 'we need to shorten this man' and we all were in hysterics.” [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prosthetic limbs can change perception of height, highlighting humor in medical adjustments. **In simple terms:** Prosthetics altered his height perception. Key Takeaway Find humor in change. Themes adaptation humor identity Mood lighthearted resilient Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - rehabilitation - sports competition - public speaking Key Concepts body image medical technology Questions to Reflect On - How does humor help you cope? - What support aids physical adaptation? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper emotional challenges of disability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When I was growing up I regularly visited a centre to get new prosthetic legs. If anything, I used to look forward to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brooker/when-i-was-growing-up-i-regularly-visited-a-centre-to-get-new/) [Alex Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brooker/) > [I have two prosthetic legs. This is my life; what am I going to do with it? And it's put me on this amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/i-have-two-prosthetic-legs-this-is-my-life-what-am-i-going-to-do-with/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [I'm an athlete, yes, but I'm also a woman. I'm someone who kind of, in a way, lost touch with that part of myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/i-m-an-athlete-yes-but-i-m-also-a-woman-i-m-someone-who-kind-of-in-a/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [At 18 months old, both of my lower legs were amputated so I could be fitted with prosthetic legs and learn to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/at-18-months-old-both-of-my-lower-legs-were-amputated-so-i-could-be/) [Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/) > [I react to Someone has tagged a photo of you... in the same way I react to a doctor saying, Your test results came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny/i-react-to-someone-has-tagged-a-photo-of-you-in-the-same-way-i-react/) [Lenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny/) > [“Perfect!" Wrath bellowed. "And this is a doctor saying it -- I mean, she went to medical school." ... "And Dr. Sam told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/perfect-wrath-bellowed-and-this-is-a-doctor-saying-it-i-mean-she-went/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [My kid could get a bad X-ray and I could get a call from the doctor saying I have something growing in my bum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/my-kid-could-get-a-bad-x-ray-and-i-could-get-a-call-from-the-doctor/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [The Obama administration has admitted that under Obamacare, you might not be able to keep your doctor. At first the president guaranteed you'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/the-obama-administration-has-admitted-that-under-obamacare-you-might/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I had two primary cancers, which was pretty unusual. And when I got the second one, people told me such terrible bad-news stories, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-two-primary-cancers-which-was-pretty-unusual-and-when-i-got-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We wouldn't think of going to our doctor and saying 'Treat me the way doctors treated people in the 19th Century', and yet that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-fedoroff/we-wouldn-t-think-of-going-to-our-doctor-and-saying-treat-me-the-way/) [Nina Fedoroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-fedoroff/) > [Putting on shoes with my prosthetic legs is still hard for me, but at the end of the day, I'm just putting on really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/putting-on-shoes-with-my-prosthetic-legs-is-still-hard-for-me-but-at/) [Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/) > [Just because I've got two prosthetic legs, yeah, I had to adapt in ways, but I've also become a lot stronger. It doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/just-because-i-ve-got-two-prosthetic-legs-yeah-i-had-to-adapt-in-ways/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [If the legs did provide such an advantage that some of the people are claiming they did, then there would be a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-pistorius/if-the-legs-did-provide-such-an-advantage-that-some-of-the-people-are/) [Oscar Pistorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-pistorius/) > [Out of the tens of thousands of prosthetic legs they've made, there's never been any 400-meter athletes run under 50 seconds. So, if this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-pistorius/out-of-the-tens-of-thousands-of-prosthetic-legs-they-ve-made-there-s/) [Oscar Pistorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-pistorius/) > [One of the very first fashion features where I appeared without my prosthetic legs was in ELLE magazine's publication, 'Gold Rush.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/one-of-the-very-first-fashion-features-where-i-appeared-without-my/) [Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/) ## More by Alex Zanardi > [Whether it is a small thing or big one, step-by-step you can make things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/whether-it-is-a-small-thing-or-big-one-step-by-step-you-can-make/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [Obviously, my wife is very important, very important because in all this time she never watched me with that look that means 'I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/obviously-my-wife-is-very-important-very-important-because-in-all/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [I certainly enjoy quite a few times the taste of the snow as I slam my face a few times in the snow trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-certainly-enjoy-quite-a-few-times-the-taste-of-the-snow-as-i-slam/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [I try to, pardon the expression, stay with my feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-try-to-pardon-the-expression-stay-with-my-feet-on-the-ground/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [When my son was just a kid, I remember him going for a running race at school and winning and coming to hug me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/when-my-son-was-just-a-kid-i-remember-him-going-for-a-running-race-at/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [I shouldn't have survived that accident. Science didn't give me a single chance. I basically survived for about 50 minutes with less than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-shouldn-t-have-survived-that-accident-science-didn-t-give-me-a/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [Proving to my friends, family, and the people that I love that they were wrong - that in spite of my age and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/proving-to-my-friends-family-and-the-people-that-i-love-that-they/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [Formula One is not sport. Formula One is only intense competition between teams where the competition is really the research, the technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/formula-one-is-not-sport-formula-one-is-only-intense-competition/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [The trust the BMW family puts in me means a lot to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/the-trust-the-bmw-family-puts-in-me-means-a-lot-to-me/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [That's what I admire the most of my mom, that's she's so tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/that-s-what-i-admire-the-most-of-my-mom-that-s-she-s-so-tough/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [I see the human being is an incredible machine, totally undiscovered in many ways. Every one of us has a hidden tank of energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-see-the-human-being-is-an-incredible-machine-totally-undiscovered/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [Vancouver has always been a place of mixed results for me. I've always been fast there, but I've never been able to collect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/vancouver-has-always-been-a-place-of-mixed-results-for-me-i-ve-always/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [The perfect life is the combination of great moments and bad ones, and under that point of view, my life is fantastic, because I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/the-perfect-life-is-the-combination-of-great-moments-and-bad-ones-and/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [I'm just a very curious guy who has a lot of possibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-m-just-a-very-curious-guy-who-has-a-lot-of-possibility/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) > [Today, I don't have any psychological scars, because I am a realist and an optimist. After all, I can't lose my legs twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/today-i-don-t-have-any-psychological-scars-because-i-am-a-realist-and/) [Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) [Explore all 103 Alex Zanardi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/) ## More Doctor quotes > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [A creative space is an important thing. There are so many studios that feel like doctor's offices in Nashville. I couldn't write there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/a-creative-space-is-an-important-thing-there-are-so-many-studios-that/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) John Randolph of Roanoke > [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/) [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) > [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. 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