Richard is a young bilateral above-knee amputee that was injured in an electrical accident. Bilateral amputees are always challenging, but bilateral above-knee patients are particularly tough. He was cast by Michael and myself last Thursday and will soon be fit.
Derilus was fit by Amy. He was so anxious and full of energy that his first steps were better described as a jog instead of a walk. We knew this patient would be a go-getter because before he was fit with his prosthesis he could not sit still in his chair for 2 seconds. Every time I passed by he would point at his limb and ask if I was done yet. So when the time came, we fit him and cut him loose. After only 3 – 5 minutes of alignment adjustments, he started working on his dance moves. He was quite the entertainer. If he wasn’t dancing, he was jogging. If he wasn’t jogging, he was doing a back flip in the parallel bars. By the end of the first day, he was riding a bicycle up and down the walkway in front of the clinic. He did so well that we applied his cover the next day, and away he went.
Next week we are looking forward to getting Richard on two feet again and will be welcoming a new set of practitioners by week’s end. It’s always exciting to see what the new week will bring.
