GUNTOWN, Miss. (WTVA) -- Bryant Camp said he has always been a vibrant teen and very athletic.
"I started in every sport that we played. I had been practicing playing sports my whole life," said Bryant.
He made a choice several years ago that would change his life forever.
"It was December 15, 2006, and for whatever reason, I decided it would be a good idea to sneak out of the house. I got in my mom's Navigator (SUV) and went joyriding," Camp said.
Several hours later, Camp tried to outrun police and hit a tree driving 125 mph.
"When I woke up, I could feel something. It felt like ants biting my legs. I looked down, and there was radiator fluid or gasoline or something leaking out of the engine onto my legs. It was literally melting my skin off," Camp said.
Camp said doctors tried to save his legs, but the damage was too severe to repair.
"I'm in surgery, and I wake up so many hours later. I was like, 'My legs aren't hurting.' I thought they had fixed whatever the problem was. My mom was sitting there tearing up, and she said, 'You don't understand. They didn't fix them. They had to amputate them.' I threw the covers off (my legs), and for the first time, I looked down, and there wasn't anything there," said Camp.
He said he spent several years in a wheelchair before getting prosthetic legs. Now with a brand new pair of legs and a new wheelchair on the way, Camp said he is determined now more than ever to help others and not let the one bad decision keep him from living life to the fullest.
"I made a mistake when I was 16 by sneaking out, and it's going to affect me for the rest of my life. It completely changed my life. But also on the flip side of that, you can make decisions now that completely change your life for the better," Camp said.
And while the life lesson has been costly, Camp said he takes full responsibility. He said he now hopes his story will prevent something like this from happening to someone else.
