My name is Ann-Marie, I’m 38 and live with my husband who is 40. He loves cooking and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Together we love live music, art, sneaker culture, tobogganing and all things Japan related. We’ve been to Japan twice and hope we’ll be lucky enough to get the chance to go again one day.
I was born with a rare bone condition and spent many of my childhood and adolescent years having multiple limb lengthening and corrective surgeries. Things had calmed down a bit by my early twenties with only a few surgeries, but in 2011 I was diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma. This led to a series of limb salvaging surgeries, followed by amputation in 2019. The previous surgeries on my leg had spanned a period of 30 years and it was very difficult to try and get my head around the enormity of limb loss, after all those years spent trying to save my leg. It has been a difficult transition, I’d hoped my experience of operations and recoveries would’ve helped me prepare in some way for the change but it was so different in so many ways! It’s been a real learning curve and huge challenge both mentally and physically.
My biggest concern when becoming an amputee was how my other health conditions would be impacted by the amputation and using a prosthetic leg, it’s something I continue to learn to navigate as I go along.
I’d say the hardest time for me since my amputation was coping throughout the pandemic, I was due to be admitted for an inpatient rehab programme when the first lockdown hit so it felt as if life had come to a complete halt. I was also shielding, so this and the added frustration of my socket no longer fitting meant it was a very difficult time. I felt isolated and lost, which amplified my feelings of grief as I tried to process my limb loss. The backlogs in prosthetics and rehab services that followed the lockdowns went on for a few years so it felt as if I was never going to get back on track, but thankfully I was finally able to complete my rehab programme in 2023.
I named my prosthetic leg ‘Carlos’ and I love decorating it for special occasions. I love any excuse to dress up, so it’s only fair that Carlos gets to join in the fun!
I learnt of Steel Bones shortly after my amputation and received a welcome pack, full of great information and goodies. My sister and I attended a Celebration Day and we had such a great time and met many amazing people there. It was so lovely to connect with people who have experienced limb loss and I felt understood. Since then I’ve been to local meet ups, which I really enjoy and have had great advice and support from the team at Steel Bones and am so grateful for them. I feel incredibly lucky to have found a community I feel part of.
In life, the thing I’d most like to achieve is happiness. I know that might sound vague! But in difficult times I tend to crave the simplest of things to bring me joy and appreciate them so much more. I would also love for an end to ableism.
I look forward to meeting more of the Steel Bones community in the future!
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