In some rare cases toddlers and young children are missing limbs and parents are unsure of how their children are going to lead a normal life. But now there is new hope that children, particularly toddlers, can learn how to walk and use prosthetics even at a young age.
ABC News reports here that a fourteen-month-old toddler is learning how to walk with a prosthetic leg. “Oscar was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency (or PFFD) and fibular hemimelia. That basically means he has a short femur bone. He is also missing his fibula,” according to the baby’s mother.
Due to his condition, Oscar has one leg that is significantly shorter than his other leg. His parents were committed to helping him lead a normal life. They had a custom prosthetic made to fit over his leg so that he can learn how to walk. Now Oscar is a symbol of hope for other children with this disease.
Baby Oscar is responding well to the prosthetic. His doctor told ABC, “Often times the child will reject it and will try to throw it away. When you take it off of Oscar, he tries to pull it back.” Oscar’s parents said they are going to think about whether they should continuously have surgery to lengthen Oscar’s leg or let Oscar use different prosthetic legs through out his life to walk.
Oscar has a special walker that helps him train using the prosthetic. His doctor believes that he will quickly make the transition from crawling to walking. Oscar’s hopeful doctor told ABC, “If this little guy want to climb Mount Everest he will do it. Not a thing in the world will ever stop this kid.” Oscar’s parents are thrilled about the progress he is making and would like to raise awareness about this condition so that other families with children who are suffering from this disease can realize that they have options.
