Young Florida Amputee Will Walk, Ride A Bike, Can Do Anything

A Florida toddler who suffered a tragic and serious personal injury when her feet were cut off by a riding lawnmower driven by her father regained the ability to one day walk again on her own. The two-year-old was fitted with prosthetic legs sporting a Dora the Explorer theme yesterday, along with pink sneakers and a Superman Cape.

The Palm Harbor tot took to her legs seamlessly according to reports. Although her parents were warned that she may be afraid of the foreign parts and hesitant to take the first step, the resilient youngster seemed to defy the warnings, taking her first steps since the serious accidents as her parents looked on.

To everyone’s relief, it seems that the youngster will be ok. She may have fallen once during the fitting, but she got right back up and kept working. When the prothetist tried to remove her new legs, the young girl responded, “I want to keep my legs,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. The prosthetist was requesting the legs in order to make adjustments as part of the fitting session.

Today’s steps were one of many in the young girl’s recovery. It is likely that she will need new prosthetic legs every three months as she continues to grow. The toddler could also face additional surgeries on what are left of her legs to respond to the growth of bone and cartilage.

Looking on as the toddler re-took her first steps was a woman who suffered a similar tragic accident several years ago. The woman came to show her support and to prove that there is life after amputation. She lost one leg in a lawn mowing accident when she was just two-years-old as well.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, “‘Nothing will hold her back’: 2-year-old mower accident victim walks on new legs,” June 17, 2013