POA Client Profiile: D'Andra, Hip Disarticulate Amputee

D'Andra, a hip disarticulate (HD) amputee, lost her leg to osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in 2007. Discouraged after being fit with a prosthesis that inhibited her movement and was painful to wear, she chose to live life on crutches and let the prosthetic leg gather dust in the corner. In early 2014, encouraged by some videos of POA HD amputees doing incredible things, D'Andra was inspired to give it another shot. Her supportive community of family and friends helped finance the trip, and soon she and her sister arrived in Orlando, eager to get started! As often happens at POA, everything seemed to fall into place. While the socket was being fit, a local organization donated a lightly used C-Leg microprocessor knee to POA, which just happened to be what D'Andra needed! We surprised her with it during her first fitting--tears all around!
D'Andra's infectious laughter and zest for life won her many hearts and friendships during her two week stay. One of those friends donated an adjustable heel foot to D'Andra, so that she could continue to rock her high heeled shoes. :-) And D'Andra did not disappoint! Within hours of putting on her prosthesis for the first time, she was walking in the parallel bars, barely holding on. Over the next week her skills, confidence, and stamina increased; by the end of her stay she was walking with only the aid of a cane. A few weeks later, D'Andra sent us a video of her back at work (she tutors children), carrying two glasses of water and walking on grass without a cane! This young lady, so determined to regain her independence is doing just that, and we couldn't be more proud of her! #noboundaries