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Mike Losee walks from the Student Union Building where he tutors math students to his car Tuesday afternoon. After a paralyzing accident, Losee developed a way to walk and created a Web site to help others. PHOTO BY DYLAN COOMER [Click to enlarge]

The sun was setting on Mike Losee's day of fun when he and his friends decided to hit one more snowboard jump in the Wasatch Mountains near Snowbasin.

Losee, 18, found his life was never the same after that final jump in January 2002. Doctors said he had either a compression fracture or a dislocating fracture in his back. As it turned out, he had both.

Initially, the doctors thought he had a detached spinal cord; instead, it was his T-12 vertebrae that was displaced and ruptured.

On comes surgery number one at McKay-Dee Hospital. The surgery was supposed to relieve pressure from Losee's spinal cord by sticking a metal rod in his back and fusing the vertebrae. The problem was, McKay-Dee doctors didn't fuse enough vertebrae and the pressure never left.

The second surgery took place at University of Utah hospital. There they fused enough vertebrae and stuck two titanium rods in Losee's back. The surgery required putting two screws each in his T-10 through L-1 vertebrae, making a total of six to eight screws.

"My prognosis was not a good one. They told me I was a complete injury, which means I wouldn't ever have any feeling or movement again," Losee said. "Before all of this happened, I was the typical kid. I enjoyed snowboarding, I liked to run and I had a body-conditioning class with the Weber State football team. Once all was said and done, they tell you that you won't walk again and they don't give you a whole lot to work with or look forward to."

One day, Losee's grandmother saw on television a place in Provo that works with complete injuries, like Losee's. She called Losee's father, Paul Losee, who then called him. The "Sit Tall, Stand Tall" program is run by Leighton Weber, a former National Football League player.

"I was going to this program full time, 20-25 hours a week," Losee said. "The more I do, the better off I am. It was a real physical program and by the time I got home, I was drained. It's just like the home page says, it really is a 'Program for Warriors.' There was no way I could do that and school, so I put off going to college until now."

Losee's mother, Carolyn Losee, is impressed with her son's attitude.

"Mike was the one that had the attitude to stay positive and turn everyone else's attitude around," Carolyn said. "He had a rule; when you came into his hospital room that you couldn't murmur or complain about his circumstances and that you could leave if you were going to cry."

Carolyn said she feels the family looks up to Losee for all he has overcome. The whole family supported her son and that he brought the family closer together, she said.

"Mike learned to be bigger than the problem," Carolyn said. "He never looked back and he learned to be strong and endure challenges. The majority of the time I have to hold back the tears. He inspires people and helps them rise above what they go through. Mike doesn't want people to feel sorry for him; he wants them to focus on him as a person. You have to have a positive attitude to learn how to deal with things in life. You and only you can decide in your mind what your attitude is going to be."

Losee is now a WSU sophomore studying computer science. He and his father made a Web site called "No Wheels." The Web site is about what Losee does, how he does it and to hopefully give some inspiration to others. The two Web sites are nowheels.com and sittallstandtall.com.

"It's impossible to convey the combination of people who just don't care or don't believe," Losee said. "You can sit in a chair or work your butt off to walk. I wouldn't have it any other way to walk and live life on my feet. I like to look people in the eye, shake their hands and give or receive hugs. I have no regrets."

You can reach reporter Trevor Warner by calling 626-7655.

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