The Orange County Register
ORANGE – Steve Mora aches after standing all day in the operating room, mending torn shoulders and fractured knees.
He’s tired, but he trots down the stairs of his office. The 38-year-old doctor can’t slow down. If he does, his stiff right leg will give out. Mora’s blue surgical scrubs hide a shrunken leg, 1 inch shorter than the other. His leg carries the scars of a devastating injury that spurs him on. Steve Mora started life in Los Angeles, the oldest son of Peruvian immigrants. When he was 4, his parents returned to Lima for an extended visit.
One summer day, Steve ran into a busy freeway to set up cans. He watched cars smash them into aluminum pancakes. During one dash, he stumbled. A commuter bus ran over him, crushing his legs like the cans.