Adrian Grajeda one year after losing part of his leg

Glancing at the fast-moving feet on the soccer field, it’s hard to tell which ones are Adrian Grajeda’s.

“Kids don’t realize he’s wearing a prosthetic leg until he pulls his sock down,” said Paul Thompson, Adrian’s soccer coach.

It was just a year ago that on a similar field Adrian’s life changed forever when an elderly driver crashed through a school yard fence.

His mom, Brandy, recalls it like it was yesterday.

“I’ve thought about it all day. It’s been a challenging day for me,” she said.

That day Adrian lost part of his right leg, but not his spirit. In fact, for Adrian, the anniversary of the accident was like any other day.

“When I woke up I just went to school and it was a normal day for me. Then I remembered it was the 23rd and I was like oh, that’s cool, and I just did my stuff,” Adrian said.

It’s that positive attitude that’s helped Adrian through the grueling stages of recovery, to find his new normal.

His determination has made him an inspiration.

“People come up and they say wow is that the kid? And I say yeah, that’s Adrian,” Thompson said.

Adrian’s family says the last year has been full of challenges, but they choose instead to focus on the opportunities it brought.

Months after the accident, Adrian was running with a custom made prosthetic donated by a Southern California charity, hitting home runs with wounded military veterans at an amputee softball camp, and of course playing soccer once again.

“He’s getting better with everything: emotionally, physically, time is healing everything,” Brandy said.

Adrian says it’s just about taking life in stride.

“You just have to move and if you believe you can do it, you can. It’s possible,” Adrian said.