Wall of Legs

Lined up along a wall in my living room I have an arsenal of prosthetic legs. I'm sure that it must look strange to guests who enter our house, but each leg has a purpose and a defined use. I never realized how much planning it would take to be an amputee!

I have a leg for walking. Receiving my Proprio foot was a life changing event. Despite its numerous attributes, a microprocessor does have limitations, hence the reason for my other legs.

I have a swim leg which I also use to play in the snow in the winter and run through the sprinkler in the summer. I also wear my swim leg when we dance in the rain, throw water balloons or play puddle tag.

When I want to run, jog or kick a ball, I wear what is referred to as my "running leg." I don my MOD III anytime I want to do a higher impact activity. Truth be told, Robby prefers my "running leg" because he knows that I can play tag while wearing it. He has even tried to hide my Proprio in an attempt to force my wearing the activity leg.

One of the most frustrating things about being an amputee is the need to constantly change prosthetics to suit the activity. Being active takes planning, and I'm not exactly renown for my planning abilities! More than once I've had to stop doing something or have had to return home because I had the wrong leg.

I would love a "one leg fits all activities" prosthetic. Despite the strides made during the past few years, this is not yet a reality. It would be liberating to have a leg that would work optimally in all conditions and situations. Until then, I'll try to plan ahead and keep my "wall of legs" at the ready.