Carla
Carla's story
'What no one expected happened here: suddenly I was walking again, with two prosthetic legs!' Carla was born with a birth defect on her left hand. Nevertheless, she attended the dance academy and the teacher training in textile work forms and handicrafts. Due to dystrophy she eventually had to miss an arm and two lower legs. She works as a volunteer at the Mee Foundation, where she shows people what life with a disability looks like. Her service dog is her buddy. He helps her with dressing and undressing, opening the doors, but also with the laundry. She likes to swim and she is currently making a dance piece for underwater with two fellow dancers. What happened so that you have to miss your arm and your legs? Ten years ago I bumped my hand, which caused dystrophy, and I suffered a lot of pain. got. Then, pretty soon after, I bumped one knee and sprained the other. Dystrophy also developed in my legs and to make matters worse I suffered from thromboses. I was an independent dance teacher, had a nice and free life with my son and suddenly lost my freedom and independence. Afterwards it turned out that I had also contracted Lyme disease and suffered from a blood clotting disorder, which made some complaints explainable. The problem with your arm was eventually solved by the amputation? Yes, the dystrophy made my arm worse and more painful. In the end it was decided to amputate part of my arm. Afterwards I felt so incredibly liberated! I was no longer in pain and could tolerate people around me again. And I needed that so badly. When the amputation of my arm was over, I was still struggling with my legs. They also got worse and worse. They were painful and in a strange forced position. When I also had an accident with the wheelchair taxi in which I was transported, things got further out of hand. I asked for an amputation of my legs, but they did not respond. In the end, my legs were amputated below the knee in the VU medical center. When did you get your first prostheses? Shortly after the amputation, prostheses were fitted in a company that collaborated with the VU. I walked three steps, but eventually I got wounds and pain, I had to stop and I built in some rest for myself. At one point my sister said, "Couldn't you try a prosthetic arm?" So I started the process for an arm prosthesis. When I was doing that, it started to itch again in the area of my legs. So I made an appointment with the rehabilitation doctor, the director and then with the orthopedic technologist from Protec. How did the Protec team help you? They prepared me so well for what to expect. They did not promise me mountains of gold, but told me what might be possible, taking into account my physical situation. In that respect I was very well informed from the start. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, I really felt that way. My prostheses were fitted and that same day I was able to get a taste of walking with them. And what no one had expected, it happened: the running went well! The prostheses felt nice. That was really so special. So you could suddenly walk again? That must have been a special experience! I was standing at eye level in front of people again and as a result, strange as it may sound, I suddenly felt grown up again. I received the prostheses home with lots of tips and advice for use. Kas gave me his phone number and that made me feel safe. In the first period I suffered from some nerve pain; a kind of stabbing through my leg. Because I could have direct contact with Kas about this, we were able to anticipate. Kas really takes his work very seriously and that gave me a sense of peace. Did you need help learning to walk? Yes, I could immediately contact Frank Dik, exercise coach at Protec. I started running training with him. At first I walked inside the walkway, but I felt that soon I would be able to walk outside it. I also try to step on the brakes now and then, because there is a lot going on with my body. So I take it easy at intervals. But sometimes I already think about walking outside and taking long walks. And that while I've been in a wheelchair for years. Unbelievable that it worked in one go! Yes exactly. So after years I managed to get me to walk on two lower leg prostheses within a week. How lucky I felt. I could never have imagined that it would feel so good. Anyway, I still find it difficult to say this just like that, because somewhere you don't dare to cheer too much after so much setback. And yet: this feels good! You dare to hope again? Sure. I am incredibly happy that I ended up at Protec. Coincidentally, it's just around the corner from me. One of the things I hope to achieve with my prostheses is to be able to visit my son and daughter-in-law who live close to me. They live three floors up and when I can climb the stairs again, I can visit them and my grandchildren! Want to read more customer testimonials? Click here.