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Speaker 1:
We knew when I was pregnant with him that there was something going on. We didn't quite know for sure what. When he was born, he was born six weeks premature and until he was born, we didn't have a definite diagnosis.
Speaker 2:
I have fibular hemimelia, which is the complete or partial absence of your fibula, and so I didn't have it in my lower leg and I had four toes, and then my ankle was growing at an abnormal angle, kind of down and out.
Speaker 1:
When we first met with Dr. Schoenecker, he told us we basically had two options. The first being limb lengthening and reconstruction of that ankle. He said they probably wouldn't do that until he was eight or nine years old. The second option would've been at the time is amputation at the ankle, and fitting with a prosthetic. Probably the hardest part my husband will say of the whole journey was handing him over to the nurse the day of surgery, but we handed him over. We said a little prayer, and Good Lord took care of him.
Speaker 2:
I think I've had nine or 10 legs as of this point in my life.
Speaker 1:
And, I would have to agree. If we had to make the same decision, we'd do it all over again. We walked through those doors and you could literally feel the warmth, the love, and the caring. Before we even talked to anybody, you could just feel it if you walked through those doors.
Speaker 2:
They're not the doctors, they're your family. They're just part of your family, and I feel like they got your back. You can feel the warmth and the love that they have to offer.
Speaker 1:
If you tell him he can't do something or he's not able to do something because he has a prosthetic, he's going to prove you wrong.
Speaker 2:
I like to say that everybody laughs at me for being different, but you need to laugh at them because they're all the same. So you're sticking out for a reason, and go and chase your dreams because anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
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