From patient to pioneer

China Daily

18th May 2026

From patient to pioneer

Over a decade after a life-changing accident, amputee Cai Lu forges ahead with successful prosthetics business

By LI LEI

Twelve years ago, doctors told Cai Lu he would never walk again. This week, as China marks its 36th National Disability Day, the 34-year-old is proving them wrong — not just by walking, but by running a prosthetics firm whose clients include Paralympic gold medalists.

Cai's journey from a 35-day coma to cofounder of Zhejiang Xingyuan Prosthetics & Orthotics Co, was defined by an unthinkable choice. In 2017, after three years of grueling, unsuccessful surgeries to save his shattered left leg, he demanded that doctors remove it.

"It wasn't giving up," Cai said. "It was a clear-eyed realization that I couldn't keep lying to myself."