Latest news with #prosthetic
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
West Sussex boy wants to 'enjoy life' after losing legs to sepsis
A 13-year-old boy who lost both legs to sepsis says he is getting his strength back and looking forward to the future, a year after being placed in an induced first went into hospital in June 2024 with leg pain. He later developed a life-threatening blood infection and underwent months of treatment, including two induced comas and care at Evelina London Children's teenager, from Rusper in West Sussex, had his left leg amputated in August 2024 and his right in February 2025 after efforts to save it fitted with prosthetic limbs, Austin said: "I can't change what happened in the past, but I can change what is in front of me." Austin has returned to school and has had to learn to walk again. He said: "So much has changed - I'm getting my strength back and trying new things."He first became unwell after complaining of leg pain. His grandmother noticed the tips of his ears turning blue and he was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with sepsis, the life-threatening blood infection. He was placed in a coma for three he developed a secondary infection and was induced into a coma father, Warwick, said: "My wife and I were told to prepare for the worst. "In life a lot of people take their health for granted, and so did we, but suddenly you realise how fragile it is."It makes you focus on what is important in life." A keen sportsperson, Austin has swapped hockey for wheelchair tennis and basketball. He is also rowing with Paralympic gold medallist Rachel Morris."I'm just trying so many different things and enjoying life," he said.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Girl, 7, wants others to see there is life after amputation
Seven year old River-Lucia is running around the garden of her Cheadle home, dashing up the steps of a slide and coming down the other side again and Leia watches proudly. She regularly films her daughter for their Instagram page, rushing up and down stairs, bouncing on trampolines, paddling in the Instagram River-Lucia is the fibular hemimelia warrior - the condition which ten months ago led to her left leg being removed below the since, and she and her mum have been trying to show others in a similar situation that life, although challenging, can be active and fun. Fibular hemimelia means one of the two bones in the lower leg, the fibula, is either shorter than normal or missing altogether, causing one leg to be shorter than the are born with the condition – in River-Lucia's case, Leia was told during her 20 week scan."In this world we are all born different. We all look different," said LeiaShe added: "Parents might find it hard to understand and think that the child's going to be treated different or not able to fit in a mainstream school. "They can and looking at River-Lucia's page you can see she's just normal like any other kid. She's just doing what they do." In Greater Manchester parents like Leia are usually referred to the Specialised Ability Centre in Wythenshawe before their child is even born. It is one of the biggest centres in the country offering both prosthetic (artificial) limbs and external support for existing limbs like built up shoes and most of their patients are adults, the centre does see around 150 children a year, who will stay within their services for the rest of their lives. Lara Littler, centre manager, said: "We see patients at pre-natal, we see expectant mothers…and then right after the child is born they will be seen by us and we will support that family through the emotional side, the physical side, the development aspects, all the way through." Staff also talk over the different options for each River-Lucia's case, the increasing difference in length could only be treated by multiple leg lengthening surgeries, which involve wearing an external cage for months and can lead to serious complications, or an amputation. "It was the most difficult decision of our lives," said Leia."We could have done it earlier when she was a baby but we held back as we wanted to see how her foot would grow""We waited until she was at an age to understand it all, showed her pictures, introduced her to other children…and when we showed River-Lucia the two options, she said "amputation" straight away"Last September, when she was six-years-old, River-Lucia had the lower part of her leg removed."It was such a shock. You can prepare yourself all you like but until you're actually there, it was all questions going on in my head, I couldn't sleep, it was 'are we making the right decision? are we going to regret this?'" said Leia. Shannon Hughes is a prosthetist, a specialist in all aspects of prosthetic limbs, who often works with children. She says anxiety over children undergoing amputation can be overwhelming for all concerned"It's really important that you involve the child and let them know that they get to make decisions too, but often you're working alongside the whole family, " she said."I think there's often a lot more anxiety around children….not knowing the future is kind of scary for most parents, but if you don't know anyone else who has a limb absence like your child then it's hard to know what the future might look like".Leia said her own daughter's limb amputation has been transformational – for the better. Her prosthetic limb has allowed her to be active in a way that external supports, like built up shoes, could not."You just saw her character come out…..She's got so much more confidence, she's not at my side anymore, she's not needing me for help. She must just feel so much more confident in this leg" Leia now hopes their Instagram account will help other families dealing with the news that a child might have to lose a asked what her favourite things are, River Lucia says: "Swimming, climbing, riding my bike, and running". Her prosthetic limb is covered with pictures of lions, for courage. Her bedroom, like much of the house, is filled with affirmative posters and ornaments. Many of her toys and dolls wear a prosthesis."We do have struggles at home getting from A-B and sometimes we do need the wheelchair. But eight times out of 10 she's doing what other kids can do," Leia said."It feels good because we know we've made the right decision….She's just giving it her all. Everything she's doing, she's just giving it her all". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Malay Mail
21-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
‘A dream come true': Cammie the camel takes her first steps on prosthetic leg after brutal attack
KARACHI, July 22 — Cammie, a young camel whose front leg was chopped off by a landlord in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, left her caregivers emotional as she walked for the first time on a prosthetic leg. 'I started weeping when I saw her walking with the prosthetic leg. It was a dream come true,' Sheema Khan, the manager of an animal shelter in Karachi told AFP on Saturday. Veterinarian Babar Hussain said it was the first time a large animal in Pakistan had received a prosthetic leg. Cammie's leg was allegedly severed by a landlord in June 2024 as punishment for entering his field in search of fodder. A video of the wounded camel that circulated on social media prompted swift government action. According to the deputy commissioner of Sanghar, she was transported the very next day to Karachi, over 250 kilometres (155 miles) away, and has been living in a shelter there ever since. 'She was terrified when she first arrived from Sanghar. We witnessed her heart-wrenching cries. She was afraid of men,' Khan told AFP. One of the biggest challenges the caregivers faced was gaining her trust. 'I cannot put her condition into words,' Khan added. To aid her recovery, the caregivers introduced another young camel named Callie. Her presence brought comfort to the injured Cammie, who tried standing on her three legs for the first time after seeing her new companion. 'Cammie had been confined to her enclosure for almost four to five months before Callie arrived,' Khan added. After treating the wound and completing initial rehabilitation, the shelter — Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) Benji Project — arranged a prosthetic leg from a US-based firm so she could walk on all fours again. This photograph taken on July 19, 2025 shows Babar Hussain (centre), a veterinarian, with Cammie. — AFP pic 'We don't force her to walk. After attaching the prosthetic leg, we wait about 15 to 20 minutes. Then she stands up on her own and walks slowly,' veterinarian Hussain told AFP. He said that it would take another 15 to 20 days for her to fully adjust to the new limb. The caregivers said Cammie will remain at the shelter permanently. — AFP
South China Morning Post
21-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Young Gaza survivor rides bike with new prosthetic arm from Pakistan
QUESTION: What significant event led to Sidra Al Bordeeni receiving a prosthetic arm? As soon as eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordeeni returned from the clinic with her prosthetic arm, she jumped on a bicycle in the Jordanian refugee camp where she lives. She was riding it for the first time since a missile strike in Gaza took her arm a year ago. Sidra was injured while sheltering at Nuseirat School, one of many Gaza schools converted into makeshift refuges from Israeli strikes. The arm was built over 4,000km away in Karachi by Bioniks, a Pakistani company that uses a smartphone app to take pictures from different angles and create a 3D model for custom prosthetics. CEO Anas Niaz said this was their first time providing prosthetics to those impacted in conflict. Sidra and three-year-old Habebat Allah, who lost both her arms and a leg in Gaza, went through days of remote consultations and virtual fittings. Then Niaz flew from Karachi to Amman to meet the girls and make his company's first overseas delivery.
Arab News
15-07-2025
- General
- Arab News
A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan
KARACHI: A year after being brutally maimed by a landlord who chopped off her leg in Sanghar district of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Cammie the camel walked again Tuesday morning on all four legs with the help of a prosthetic limb, creating a euphoric feeling among her caregivers. Cammie's first steps came after a long period of intensive rehabilitation at the Karachi shelter of the CDRS Benji Project for Animal Welfare, which collaborated with a US-based prosthetics firm and received support from the provincial government to provide the young camel with a new limb. 'Today I am ecstatic,' Sarah Jahangir, director of the animal shelter, told Arab News. 'I don't have words for how happy I am seeing Cammie stand up on her prosthetic.' 'I am so proud of my team,' she continued. Jahangir also expressed gratitude to Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri and her sister, Shazia Marri, a provincial lawmaker in Sindh, for their support. 'I can't thank both enough for rescuing Cammie, and trusting us and supporting us wholeheartedly.' Cammie had wandered into a private field in Sanghar last year in search of food when a landlord, enraged by the intrusion, hacked off her front leg with a sharp weapon. The incident led to public outcry that forced the state to intervene. Authorities filed an animal cruelty case against the landlord, arresting five people under Pakistan's rarely enforced animal rights laws. The prosthetic leg, specially designed by Virginia-based Bionic Pets, was delivered two months ago. Cammie's medical team had waited for both her physical wound to heal and for her mental readiness before fitting the limb. 'She was a very scared, nervous little child,' said Sheema Khan, the shelter manager, who was crying on Tuesday when Cammie took her first steps with the new leg. To help her emotionally overcome, Cammie was paired with another rescued camel, Callie, who became her emotional companion. Their friendship proved vital: on the night Callie arrived, Cammie stood up on her own for the first time in months. However, the wounded camel couldn't walk until the moment arrived on Tuesday morning. 'Seeing Cammie stand on her own is vindication of months of dedicated hard work,' Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri told Arab News. 'When this tragic incident first occurred, my sister, the elected MNA from Sanghar, was appalled… With the help of the Sindh Government and the selfless volunteers at CDRS Benji, we resolved to bring her back on her feet, and today we have managed that. Allah has been most kind.'
