Interesting Reactions and Interactions

Posted by: Nate
Posted: Fri, August 14 2009 at 4:27pm

I would put this under the category of “Kids say the cutest things” or “How to be an amputee ambassador”.  Over the years I’ve had incredible and very pronounced reactions from both children and adults when they’ve noticed my C-Leg.  I usually get quite a chuckle seeing the kids whose eyes get as big at tea cups when they catch a glimpse of my leg.  I’ve also gotten some really great comments from little ones who have no inhibitions that you just have to love. 

Many years ago while my wife and I were traversing the grounds of an amusement park I noticed a little boy of about six years of age who clearly had taken note of my knee.  I spotted him as he spotted my knee and I saw his eyes get huge with disbelief.  As he and his family walked by I heard him remark to his dad, “Dad, did you see that?  He’s got a robot leg!”  That one made me laugh.  It was completely unexpected and I thought quite funny as well. 

Just recently my three year old niece used a different term when she asked me “where is your machine leg?”  She couldn’t quite understand how I went from walking around on two legs to having a short stump on one side.  She was quite interested when I used a pull sock to seat my residual limb into the socket.  For a little girl who often will speak without pause for minutes on end she was quiet for several minutes taking in the spectacle that is my leg. 

I’ve had some other interactions as well that are less pleasant or at least certainly less funny.  I’ve had several instances where parents quashed their children’s inquisitive nature when the child asked about my leg.  They have often shushed the child, looking at me with uncertainty, and proceeded to walk away briskly.  I wonder if I could have turned many of those moments into teaching moments so that those children learned that an amputee isn’t that different, or weird, or even worse, to be feared. 

I think some people are uncomfortable because they’re afraid that I’m overly sensitive to the circumstances surrounding my amputation.  The thinking goes that maybe I had a car accident or some trauma and thus I’ve got issues with people talking about my leg.  You obviously never know a person’s story just by looking at them so I understand to some degree where that thinking arises.  However, the failure in that logic is that fact that I don’t try to hide my knee; I’ve got it out there for the whole world to see.  In light of that, I would hope at least, they might consider that I’m not ashamed of my amputation and am open to talking about it. 

I wish more people would ask me about my knee because it’s such a great teaching tool.  I can not only talk about what the knee does but I can show them the capabilities of today’s prosthetic knees.  Before I became an amputee it didn’t occur to me how little I knew about prosthetic knees or prosthetics in general.  I have to remember to put myself in the shoes of others realizing that they know as little about prosthetics as I used to.  The key is relating a prosthesis to something they’ve already seen or heard about.  One comment that often resonates with people is when I mention that this is the same knee that many of the amputee soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are walking on.  It seems that just about everybody has seen some kind of news story about the technology that the soldiers are getting these days. 

So, in if you are an amputee I would encourage you to be proud of how you are different.  Feel free to talk to others and educate them about what life is like with a prosthesis.  You will positively influence the people you speak with and you will improve their interactions with amputees in the future.  With as simple a thing as a conversation you can have an impact on how they see the amputee community and how they relate to all of us in the future.  Be an ambassador and you will help to make the world a better place. 

Until next time.
Nate

Otto Bock HealthCare pays Nate a small fee for his essays.