A Long-Time Amputee's Chronicle of Acquiring a New Prosthetic Limb PART ONE

2 years old; that's Beth on right

 I am 49 years old and have been a below-the-knee amputee for 38 years as the result of a birth defect called Fibular Hemimelia. There are a variety of results of my particular birth defect, and in my case the result is a completely absent right fibula (the bone you feel on the outside of your ankle and lower leg) and also some absent metatarsals and phalanges (basically toe bones). So, after many surgeries in my first 10 years of life, my parents and doctors agreed that a below-the-knee amputation would give me the best function. At the time, I was an 11 year old girl who had been wearing a double-upright metal leg brace with one choice of a shoe all of her life. So what did I want to know? How much it would hurt? How long until I could walk? Uh....no. My question for the doctor was, "Will I be able to wear Frye boots?" Seriously, I have a shoe fetish to this day.

Newspaper clipping 7-ish years old

On November 20, 1974, my life as an amputee began. I have to say that being an amputee has never been the thing that defines me. Most of the time I don't think about it. During my teen years, I struggled more with self-image and the desire to be like everyone else, but that changes later, as you will see. Being an amputee is part of who I am, but not what makes me who I am. For that, I give huge credit to my very awesome parents. I am the second of six children and they encouraged me to try anything I felt inclined to try. Let me just add that during my 8th grade and freshman years, both my older sister Beth and I wore Boston braces for scoliosis. These were worn 23 hours a day for 2 years to stop the progression of a lateral spinal curvature. Oh, yes, and there were braces on my teeth as well. So, needless to say, without the unfailing support and encouragement from my parents, I would have been a very maladjusted teen indeed! Instead, I played varsity field hockey, participated in school theater, school government, worked as a day camp counselor for kids with special needs, got my driver's license and did well enough in school that I was accepted into the Physical Therapy program at Boston University (I adored my PT, Penny, and knew I wanted to be a PT).  My childhood home is in Brattleboro, Vermont only a Greyhound ride away from BU. I received my B.S. in Physical Therapy in 1985. 

I have fond memories of my first job, at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC. I was hired before the hospital was opened; it was exciting to be part of the foundation. I am so grateful that the Lord brought me to NRH. It was there that I met those friends who told me about Jesus. My life was radically changed, and it's here that I realized that God made me, He had a plan for me ALL ALONG and part of that was the birth defect that truly has been a gift, pushing me to be what I would not have otherwise been. 

I had relocated to Washington, DC from Vermont, so I was frequently asked if I was a (downhill) skier and I would have to reply in the negative, no I had never learned to ski because I did not know that I could! So, after being repeatedly asked, I decided to become a skier. I joined a learn-to-ski trip for handicapped athletes and learned to ski using outriggers and a single ski. My knee has always had a degree of instability due to the missing fibula and ligaments which would normally attach to it, so that I could not ski using my right leg. I loved it! And what a thrill to witness so many differently-abled folks learn to ski that weekend. It was very inspiring!

In 1987, I met my husband Duane. He proposed on a ski trip to Mount Snow, Vermont. We were married in 1989. We had our first 2 children in the early 1990's and I worked as a PT until 2000, when we became convicted that I needed to be at home for our family's sake. Subsequently, 4 more children came along, 3 of them were born after my 40th birthday. Pregnancy as a twenty-something was wonderful; I loved every minute of the first eight months. My knee never felt better and I experienced no problems at all with my prosthesis fit. Pregnancy as a forty-something is a whole different experience. While I had no problems related to my prosthesis or even to my knee, each pregnancy was harder than the last, but the blessing of a sweet new life at the conclusion made me glad to bear the difficulty. So here I am, our 2 eldest young men are in their early twenties, our 4 younger children are home with me and I have the distinct honor of being their mom and their teacher. Now you know who I am and my journey thus far.

Jersey Shore Vacation 2005

Our six children

Kite Flying at the Park 2006

Expecting # 6  2008

Strolling Around the National Zoo 2009

Camping Trip 2011

Baby Smiles

Since the birth of our last son in 2008, my knee has never completely regained its former function and has been the source of an increasing amount of pain. I generally just live with some amount of pain, but until more recently, nothing that has been sustained.
Over the past year, the pain has intensified and
has affected my function. I found myself declining walks around the block with the kids and dreading trips to the wholesale warehouse because of the concrete floors. By the end of most days, I was hobbling badly. Stairs were taken one-at-a-time. Exercise routines that I had performed for years were torture. Most of the time I just skipped it. Finally, I consulted a specialist (how I found her is another story). She saw that the fit of my prosthesis was quite inadequate (we get bonier as we age and lose muscle) and immediately referred me to a prosthetist with whom she likes to work. I have had a new prosthesis about every 7 years as an adult and I thought it would be fun to chronicle the process. My current prosthesis is only 4 years old, but it no longer works for me, so it is time for some new wheels, or wheel as it were!