Central Catholic Track Star Not Letting Life's Hurdles Hold Him Back

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Central Catholic High School senior Jayson Dean has been a leader on his track team, despite the odds against him. He was born without a femur, the largest bone in his right leg.

"What they did was rotate my leg 180 degrees, and made my heel my knee joint, and then they put a prosthesis on me," he explains.

He says it's an above the knee prosthetic.

"I have a brace and everything that helps me from here down," he says, showing the prosthetic. "My foot goes inside here. And then like there's a button for me to release it when I want to take my leg off."

His coaches don't grant him special favors.

"I had to do everything that everyone else did," he says. "I had to get points, I had to win meets, I had to win dual meets, just rack up every point I could get, really."

Throwing a javelin requires a strong arm and some fancy footwork. Jayson, despite his limitations, has both.

"I just do what's comfortable for me," he explains, "and my footwork really gets me to where I'm at today."

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Jayson has academic and athletic scholarships to Point Park College. His mother, Denita Dean, supports him all the way..

"He's worked hard, and there's a lot of people in his corner who helped him out along the way," she says. "Whatever Jayson sets his mind to do, he was able to do it."