Our Story
A Step Ahead Prosthetics, one of the country’s leading prosthetics companies, was founded by world-renowned prosthetist Erik Schaffer. Driven by the company’s motto, Live Life Without Limitations, Erik and his expert staff are committed to providing their patients with the best prosthetic legs, arms, and hands. Erik was inspired by his daughters’ love for American Girl Dolls and felt that everyone should have a doll that looks just like them, so he customized the first-ever doll with limb loss. In 2016, a video of a young girl receiving her customized American Girl Doll from A Step Ahead went viral and gained tremendous press. Suddenly, A Step Ahead was flooded with requests from parents worldwide requesting dolls for their children with limb loss. Erik could not refuse their pleas for help. He decided that A Step Ahead would modify American Girl Dolls for any child with limb loss, free of charge. American Girl Doll heard our story, and we are now proudly partnered with them to provide children with limb-loss dolls that look just like them!
