After a lifetime of care and countless trips to see the team in Shriners Children’s Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) department, 16-year-old Grace knows what to expect at her appointments.
She became a patient when she was just 2 months old, and has literally grown up wearing prosthetics customized for her by the medical teams at Shriners Children’s. However, it was Grace’s most recent trip to the new freestanding POPS facility in Tampa that would be a more memorable visit for her.
“She has been counting the days this time,” said Alison, Grace’s mother. “She is just so excited.”
This was because she was receiving not one new set of legs, but two: The initial set is her first-ever pair of adjustable high-heel shoes, and the second her new rock-climbing feet.
“Come over and stand by me, Daddy,” Grace said while motioning to her father, Stephen. She was so tickled over the fact that she was now officially taller than her mom, she had to see where she measured up next to him, too. “Oh, I love this!” she shouted again, as she proudly posed for a picture. As their teenage daughter smiled from ear to ear and immediately looked “so grown up,” Alison and Stephen, too, felt a flood of memories wash over them.
Grace was born in 2008 without hands or feet. Since then, she has received more than 15 sets of prosthetic legs and other adaptive equipment from POPS. From customized bike handles to her water shoes, Grace can remain on the go and explore new hobbies because of the modified devices the POPS staff provides for her.
The people in POPS believe that I can do anything, and then make it possible for me to try.
She walked around the POPS clinic room beaming with pride, her eyes sparkling as bright as the silver high heels shoes she was showing off – and that was only the first pair of legs she would receive that day. Up next was a set of specifically fabricated rock-climbing feet, which would also help Grace reach new heights.
Just this summer, Grace’s interest in rock climbing really intensified. While visiting an indoor climbing facility near her home, she admitted she looked up at the wall and thought to herself, “I’ve got to get to the top.” From that moment, the team in POPS has been figuring out exactly how to help her do that.
In addition to her climbing feet prostheses, they also created individualized rock-climbing arms with special hooks to help Grace get a better hold on the climbing wall’s grips and overhangs. The combination will provide her with more stability as the bilateral amputee navigates a new sport.
“Onlookers are often inspired by Grace’s grit and determination,” Stephen said. In fact, “regulars” at their neighborhood climbing facility have also expressed their excitement to see what she can accomplish next with her new rock-climbing gear.
Grace is also an avid reader who enjoys fantasy stories about dragons and epic adventures. She loves to draw and sometimes uses the books she reads as inspiration for her own art. The 11th-grader also excels academically, and is a proud member of her high school’s National Honor Society. She enjoys participating in the Art Club and Chem Club, where she and fellow students work together on cool experiments like making their own popping boba. “Science can be pretty fun,” she said.
As her interests continue to evolve, her hobbies may change. What remains constant is the support and services the POPS team provides, who eagerly await to see what Grace does next. With her “can do” attitude, the possibilities are endless, and we know nothing will ever slow her down.
More About POPS
Shriners Children’s Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services designs, fits and manufactures orthotics and prosthetics for children, from infants to teenagers and young adults. These devices – including shoe inserts, braces and artificial limbs (both arms and legs) – provide the support children need to meet their full potential and pursue their dreams. For more information on POPS and how to schedule an appointment, please call 800-237-5055 today.
Grace's POPS team has been there every step of the way, customizing prosthetics for all of her interests.
Grace's parents smile and proudly snap photos of her during her first POPS appointment in 2008.
During an appointment in clinic, young Grace leans on her prosthetist during a leg prostheses fitting.
Grace proudly displays various sets of legs she received from POPS throughout the years.
When Grace asked for customized arm-handle prostheses so she could ride her bike (pictured), the POPS team made it happen.
Grace tightens the strap on her first pair of adjustable high heel leg-foot prostheses.
Grace tries on her rock-climbing feet. Her green and blue customized rock-climbing arm prostheses are sitting on the exam table to the left of her.
Grace stands outside of the POPS facility on Florida Avenue, post appointment. POPS in Tampa is the first freestanding POPS facility in the Shriners Children's healthcare system.
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