One reason I started this blog was to share our families journey with Fibular Hemimelia. My hope is to help others who are on our same path. It was a scary place when we started, but now it's just apart of life. A pretty good one at that!
Sawyer will be four in July and we are on leg number four. Ideally, he will have one leg per year. Over the twelve months there are adjustments made to accommodate for growth. Adding length, changing feet, shaving down the insert, switching leg socks are some of the changes that can be made.
Leg number 4 is the first with a pattern. You have a choice between flesh color or adding a cotton fabric to the outside. In years past we picked flesh tones. To feel normal about a situation that was anything but, felt comforting. It's was not always an easy conversation to have with people without crying in the early days. Looking back I wish I could have told myself it's going to be ok. Doctors told me, but I probably needed to hear it from another mother. Let me tell you this kid does everything. He's played soccer, is in gymnastics, he runs, jumps and climbs. Sometimes things are a little harder or he has to figure out his own way, but he does. It's been so rewarding watching Sawyer grow and thrive. This playful pattern of brightly colored monsters was his choice and so perfect for him.
Week 1: The prosthetist makes a mold of the leg. They use a casting material to get the exact shape of the leg to fit the prosthetic to. They also measure his foot on the opposite leg to get a matching one for the other side.
Week 2: Using the casting a clear mold is made to visually see how the prosthetic will fit.
Week 3: Dynamic alignment. A foot is added to the end of the clear mold and the prosthetist watches to see how Sawyer walks in the new leg.
Two weeks later we have a new leg. I'm so happy with the way it turned out and I can't wait until summer for Sawyer to show it off! He amazes us all the time and I'm excited to see what the year has in store for us!
