SPOTLIGHT STORY:
My mother was from the Dominican Republic but I was born in Houston, Texas and adopted a few weeks later. I had a birth defect, which effected how my legs formed, gave me a cleft palette, and hampered my speech. Numerous surgeries later, at the age of six, I was able to walk for the first time, after much physical therapy. Because of the defect, my knees were never able to stretch past a certain point, thus I walked with bent knees, on top of clubbed feet. I used braces to attempt to correct my feet and aid in my walking. I was able to run and play like any other kid and was actually pretty good at basketball.

At the age of thirteen, I had developed bad arthritis in my knees, confining myself to a wheelchair due to the pain of walking or even getting up in the morning. After much ridicule throughout my childhood and many talks with family and doctors, the decision was made to go through with amputations. In the summer of 2004, my legs were removed through the knee, which is the second best place for it to take place.
Rigorous therapy took place and months later I was up and walking with my first set of prosthetic legs. I wore them out like no other. For a while, people knew me as the guy who walked all around town listening to music. One visit to the orthotic clinic for a check-up included the mentioning of the current legs I use now. After some paperwork and phone calls, I was able to receive a pair of the microprocessor, hydraulic legs that I still use. I took to them so fast, that two days after they were given to me, company representatives asked me to be part of a demonstration.

Around 2007, the drums majorly caught my attention, “of all things,” says Tish Meeks of 3 Kisses. My parents bought me an electric set that summer and it was torn up constantly from so much playing. In 2008, I had gotten the basics and had a log of songs in my head that I could play to, which is also how I learned to play. When Wally, the rhythm guitar player of Dark Every Day, told Tony and Manuel, who started the band and were looking for a new drummer about me, they came over to hear what I could do. They liked what they heard and asked me to join the crew. Tony gave me his acoustic set and I've polished up my skills and drum tech knowledge ever since. Just before Christmas that year, I bought my first double pedal and a few months later, on our debut album, recorded “Blood”, a bass heavy track, which I learned the night before recording, having just come out of the hospital from a surgery.
I have had around 30 surgeries to date, with a few more in store. However, there are so many more things I do now and my life has become SO much better since the choice of amputation. If there has ever been an advocate for the phrase “never give up” it would be me. Nothing can get between you and what you push to achieve.

Please support my band and I by going to our MySpace and checking out what we do!