Smithtown's Matias Ferreira, a Marine veteran and double amputee, presented with Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame plaque

Matias Ferreira, a Marine Corps veteran from Smithtown who lost both legs due to an IED accident in Afghanistan in 2011, has not stopped living his life to the maximum.

Ferreira, who had bilateral amputations below his knees, was presented with his Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame plaque on Saturday at Moriches Sports Complex.

A year into his recovery, fellow double amputee Josh Wege reached out to Ferreira to join the Wounded Warrior charity’s amputee softball team, the USA Patriots. It was easy to say yes — with a small asterisk.

“It was kind of like adding a twist to it, except that twist was prosthetics,” Ferreira said with a chuckle. “This team helped me regain my confidence. If it wasn’t for this team, I don’t think I would have had the confidence to apply for the Suffolk County Police Department.”

Ferreira continued to pursue new professional ambitions following the amputation. And thanks to the support of the Patriots, in 2017, Ferreira became the first known double amputee police officer in the country to be active with two prosthetic limbs.

Even though Saturday’s charity softball game was postponed due to rain, Ferreira said that the Hall of Fame induction is a reminder that while his life has changed, it didn’t change who he was in his community: a father, colleague, marathoner and more.

“To be honest, it’s just an honor to be a part of the community,” he said. “So for me, this award just means being a representation of all the people who do what we do.”

A few years after being on the police force, two amputee veteran teammates felt inspired to follow in his footsteps and joined police squads.

“We were just trying to show people that, hey, just because you were injured in any capacity of life and you have a prosthetic, doesn’t mean that you have to sit out,” Ferreira said. “That was our goal, to pretty much inspire as many people as we could to play the game.”

“He’s a hero, a legend, and being honored for his service while being an inspirational athlete,” said Chris Vaccaro, president of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame.

Ferreira said one of his favorite parts about playing ball goes back to being able to spread a positive message to all kids, with or without prosthetics, as part of the Wounded Warriors organization.

“One of the things that all of the players and coaches agreed to do is a kids camp . . . teaching the younger generation also to be comfortable in their bodies and confident in society where they don’t have to be somebody they’re not,” Ferreira explained.

On Friday, players took fielding practice before talking to visitors, primarily the youth, interacting and answering questions about how they live their limbless lives, limitlessly.

Joe Bartumioli, the coordinator for the Wounded Warrior softball event, highlighted how this nonprofit organization is created by amputees, for amputees, improving the lives of those around them, particularly kids.

He recalled a story of a boy with a prosthetic leg who felt ridiculed by his peers for wearing shorts because his prosthetic was visible. After the boy sat down with Ferreira, the new Suffolk Sports Hall of Famer jokingly recalled how that same boy said that he never wants to wear long pants again.

“We were in awe,” Ferreira said, “because we didn’t realize the impact that we were making on people by being mentors and doing peer support and setting the tone for other people who had never been amputees either.”