Mei was born in China missing her foot just below her ankle. She received her first orthotic foot at age 2 1/2-a basic piece of oval foam inside a hard plastic leg boot which helped her learn to walk and be able to wear a shoe. As she grew and became more active, two different clinics informed us that we would have to decide soon about surgery. They wanted us to stunt the growth of the leg missing her foot so that she could get a higher tech prosthesis. They told us that there just wasn’t much they could do with that small of a distance besides a hard stationary plastic foot. We were concerned because Mei was able to get around without a prosthesis since the length difference between her legs was so short and she has a heel pad on her stump. Shortening it would have changed that quality of life.
Luckily we found ABR. They were able to design a blade that fit perfectly in her short distance between her leg and the ground and still gave her the performance that she needed. She received her first running leg at the age of 8. Her smile told the story. Many days from that point on, her school backpack had her blade sticking out of it as she took it with her to play tag at recess. She won many track medals at the Endeavor Games, ran cross country for the first time, and played softball this summer. She knows her blade helps her be more competitive and has increased her confidence tremendously! We are so grateful!