To Jason Lalla, Jon Parker is more than just a part of a list.

Lalla, a Dunbarton resident working at Manchester’s Next Step Orthotics and Prosthetics, works closely with clients in need of equipment to walk, run and live a normal life.

Three years ago, a 15- year-old Parker was cut off on his final ski run of the day at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, when he was sent out of control into a tree.

Laying face-first in the snow, Parker dug a hole so he could breath long enough to yell to passing skiers for help.

Seven surgeries later, Parker’s parents came to him with what they thought would be a difficult decision. They came to his hospital room prepared with therapists ready to talk through the options.

“I looked up online and saw that people can run with prosthetics and do anything with it. I was excited for it,” said Parker. “I immediately went with that decision (to amputate).”

When Lalla began working at Next Step two years ago, the pair began working together, forming a unique bond.

Lalla’s leg was amputated after a motorcycle accident, something he believes helps him connect with his clients. “Right off the bat there’s a sense of camaraderie and trust. People look at you as a believable, credible source,” said Lalla. “You’ve been there yourself and have that experience how things work and feel. The other side of it is that it is a mental adjustment. People respect that you’ve been through the same mental process as they’ve been through.”

The Dunbarton resident said oftentimes when he walks in the room, those who don’t know about his accident don’t notice any difference in the way he moves.

“The last thing you want to do is stick out in society. When people come in and see me come in just like everyone else, I think that makes them relax a little,” he said.

In addition to the bond the two formed at Next Step, Lalla and Parker also found common ground in skiing. Before his accident, Parker had been a high-level downhill racer.

Lalla is a former gold medal winner for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, so he had many tips to offer Parker along the way. Although Lalla has been one of the reasons Parker has gotten back into ski racing, the prosthetist said it is his client’s attitude that has been the key to his quick bounce back.

“He’s just like any other 17-year-old kid. He’s a competitor and has a never say die attitude,” said Lalla. “He’s tenacious, and that type of attitude lends itself to athletics and anything, really.”

Parker cruises down the slopes on one ski, electing not to use a second for his prosthetic leg. Although he has two poles with smaller skis attached at the bottom, Parker said throughout most of the runs he relies solely on balance.

One of the more frustrating aspects of Parker’s injury has been getting back to where he was on the slopes. “The level I was at before the accident – I’m not quite there yet. From going to an elite level to back towards the bottom of the charts is pretty hard,” said Parker. “Doing things for the first time can be challenging, even like going on rollercoasters and getting in the cart. You have to get creative.”

Now with the help of Lalla and his other coaches, Parker will be skiing with the UNH ski team next season. “It’s going back and learning to do something that he knows how to do. That’s probably been frustrating for him, so you just have to know that it is going to come,” said Lalla. “Everybody goes through the days that you just don’t want to do things. Things that are so basic and simple now aren’t so basic and simple.”

After two years working with the now 17-year-old Parker, Lalla said the bond he has with Parker is more than a business one.

“The more that I work with him, you form a relationship that is like a friendship as well,” he said. “The people we deal with are more than just patients and names in a book.”