THE STORY OF AMAZING HOPPER (AND RUNNER)
Emma C.
Emma’s Story
Emma, age 11, was born without a tibia in her right leg which made that leg nonfunctional. Her first surgery, in Jan 2014 when she was 9 months old, is called a Brown’s reconstructive procedure with hopes the muscle in her quad would fire up and support her half patella. Once healed up she was fitted with a simple baby’s prosthesis. Emma never knew not needing a prosthesis. She doesn’t wear it all the time and she has become the most amazing hopper you have ever seen, which she might tell you is her preferred manner of locomotion; she really hates crutches.
Discomfort and Complications
As she grew Emma adapted very well to her situation. Everyone around her has been loving and supportive. Early on she exhibited a smile and positive attitude that affects everyone around her.
But there was a problem. Emma’s mom told me, “Six years after the first surgery we noticed it wasn’t working. She was having discomfort and always wanted to not wear her leg. She was also spending a lot of time in the nurses office at school plus we noticed signs of scoliosis. So, we decided in 2020 she needed an above knee amputation. It was the best decision we could have made.” In January of 2021 Emma had that second surgery to remove her knee and, in the process, she got a clean stump that fits well into a walking prosthesis which would be more comfortable. Emma was now officially an above knee amputee.
Fourth Grade
Emma is in the 4th. She’s a good student and has a great group of friends. If she falls, a weekly occurrence for amputees, her friends quickly come to her aid and help her up. No one ever teases her or makes fun of her for having only one leg.
Emma loves reading and drawing. She loves crafts, especially decorating face masks. She loves to play with the family cats with the laser pointer. She loves reptiles. She also loves dragon fruit, bagels, and Chinese food.
Twin Sisters
When Emma was six, her identical were born. They are high energy girls Emma loves playing with, and, even though they can be challenging, is very patient and kind to them. Running started to be something Emma yearned for, for two reasons. One was her sisters were starting to run around all the time. The other was gym class.
Emma wanted to run in the worst way. But insurance wouldn’t help — they believe their role is only to get an amputee walking—no sports. Emma’s parents were almost bankrupted by the uncovered cost of Emma’s many prostheses as she grew, and a $21,000 running leg for Emma was beyond their means.
A Step Ahead Prosthetics
Luckily, they were going up to Burlington to A Step Ahead Prosthetics where Bob Emerson and Lauren Piccolino run the show. They are The Who Says I Can’t Foundation’s main scouts to identify a disabled person that we are ideally suited to help. They called me to say they had the perfect fit for us, and her name was Emma.
Bob and his colleague Mike are masters and made her a new socket for running and matched that up with a running knee and a blade foot. On March 27 we saw Emma get that leg with a test socket. She refused to stay inside the nice safe parallel bars and within minutes was walking all over the big room and even trying the ramp and stairs. Emma had a permanent smile the entire time — and not just because she had been allowed to miss school.
A Running Leg
Then on April 19, it was time for final delivery. Mike got the honors of seeing her face light up when he delivered the final product to her. She left her walking leg behind and donned the new sports car of a leg.
At first it felt weird but as you are probably guessing, it did not take this young lady long to figure it out. But remember, she has never in all her 10 years, run. Well, she is now!
Here is her first ever run of her life!
Emma proceeded to grow so much over the summer that her socket no longer fit. It is the commitment of this foundation to stay with these kids and get them refitted after growth spurts. A new socket was delivered to Emma early in 2024 to make sure she can continue running.