life changing

Friday was quite a long day, but yet another I will never forget.

I was on a zoom to HHA(UK) and we finished after 5, maybe half-past.  It had been a long week, since leaving London the previous Saturday.  My partner in crime here (“PT”) was long ready to leave, but as we were walking out there was a ‘client’ sitting in reception waiting for his prosthetic leg.  He had travelled far and was waiting to get fitted before leaving for home.  So we stopped to chat.  Anyway a few minutes later one of our Prosthetics & Orthotics (P&O in the jargon) technicians came out with the finished article. 

I watched intently as he was fitted and gingerly shuffled off his chair to the parallel bars.  Along them and back, along and back again.  Encouraged to lift his good led to demonstrate how strong his prosthetic was.  As an ‘above the knee’ his prosthetic also had a keen joint.  Locking that out to stand on it took some courage.  The out onto the porch with his crutches to walk free from the bars.  Up and down the porch, up and down, up and down.   He was encouraged to rest a while; I could see the sweat pouring from his temples.  After a little break, he was back up, but this time only one crutch was allowed.

It clearly wasn’t easy, but he stuck at it.  There would need to be plenty of practice, and it would take courage to discard his remaining crutch, but in a few days, he would do so – of that we were certain.

And of course, this is a totally free service, with a workshop and state of the art equipment donated by Swiss Limbs.

A life changed in front of me.