Give prosthetics to low limbs amputees in Colombia

Yulieth is an inspiring woman with great willpower. She demonstrates that there are no impossible obstacles to overcome when we have dreams to fulfill and the mind willing to achieve them. Her children are her greatest motivation because, as she said, "they are a reflection of who you are, and I want to be the best example for mine."

It all started when she discovered that she had a kidney problem, for which she had to go to the hospital for frequent dialysis. On September 7, 2021, like any other day, she got up to have her treatment, accompanied by her cousin, because she didn't feel well enough to drive alone, let alone after dialysis. The rain did not seem to stop on the way home, the pavement became slippery, and the traffic congestion got worse. The driving seemed to last forever until they crashed a car when they lost control of the motorcycle and slipped.

Yulieth's cousin managed to jump off the motorcycle, but she did not have time to react and went flying until she landed on her left knee. While she was assimilating what had just happened, she waited for the ambulance to arrive, which took more than 50 minutes due to the traffic congestion caused by the rain and the accident.

There was not much time to make decisions. On September 9, one day after her daughter's birthday, her leg was amputated to prevent gangrene, which would continue to spread, as her toes started to turn purple. The whole foot was already the same color. She only remembered the words of her little girl, who said, "remember that we are waiting for you at home, leg or no leg." Yulieth was able to return home the next day after the surgery. She received therapies that were a gift from the physiotherapist who treated her case as she did not have the resources or the affiliation to any health entity that would cover her needs. She felt that she would not be able to get out of this situation.

During her recovery process, she said, "I started to search desperately on Facebook because I did not have the resources and wanted to do everything again, like seeing my children play soccer. I looked for prostheses in foundations, and I found Mahavir Kmina. I read and started to cry". For her, it meant that she could recover her hope and her illusion of being independent again, mobilizing herself.

Although she cried with emotion, she also doubted whether what was happening was real, "the truth is that one does not believe. I sent the form and told the people at the house without knowing if it was true. A month later, I received an approval e-mail crying with emotion because I couldn't believe it". With the support of his family, she celebrated the great news that on Monday, February 7, 2022, she would receive her prosthesis to start over.

"From the moment they receive you at the halfway house in the Corporation, everyone has a lot of charisma. It's like you come back and live," she said, as she recalled that day when her dream of obtaining a prosthesis became a reality. During her stay in Medellín, she shared her experience with people who have amputations "I was very nervous, but when I saw that people were working with a prosthesis, I was surprised. They received us very special, saying that you can also do everything again", adding, "most people make you feel that without a leg you cannot do anything and in Kmina it is the opposite, they made me believe that I am capable of everything."

Deison, one of the Corporation's prosthetists, was in charge of assisting her and fabricating her prosthesis. During the fitting, he gave her some advice to move forward. He told her about his experience as a bilateral prosthesis user. His testimony was enough to empower Yulieth and show her that everything is possible. "Deison told me that I had to love my prosthesis, that there are many people who do not adapt to the prosthesis because it hurts the stump, but that was no reason not to try and keep walking." Deison's words and testimony became a great motivation to take, more and more, firm steps forward, regardless of the pain in the stump.

After spending a day at the Corporation, she felt joyful. Her family felt upon seeing her return, "when I arrived with the prosthesis, they were very excited." Although she began to use the prosthesis she had received with such excitement, she noticed that her stump was swelling, so she decided to use it little by little while her limb was getting used to the orthopedic device. As she adapted, her will to resume an active life increased, and she decided to go back to the gym, the one that once gave her back her self-esteem and self-confidence and where now, as she said, "I tried, I saw that I was capable and everyone at the gym helped me with support."

As she was taking ownership of her prosthesis, she thought of her children as a source of inspiration to move forward. "I have a girl and a boy, and the girl has a tumor in the neck, cystic hygroma, which has no cure, and I have turned a lot to get a drug in Bogota." These are how she recounted the impact on her life and the support she received from Mahavir Kmina, "thanks to the prosthesis, I could turn around to take it to Bogota and continue with the treatment of my child, this prosthesis impacts my life, the life of my daughter and my family" adding "what they have done in my life, is to give it back to me."

Before losing her leg, she worked in a roasted meat and sancocho business, and once she gets the surgery for the kidney transplant, she longs to return to her job. In addition, she wants to continue studying. She is a technician and wants to do a degree in child pedagogy to become an example for the little ones.

At the end of the conversation, very grateful to the Corporation, she said "Now, I have a second chance. I like everything about the prosthesis, I feel free. I put on the prosthesis, and my self-esteem goes up to heaven. I do things by myself as I am very independent, and I can walk hand in hand with my children without crutches". Also, for her, having the support of her husband has been fundamental in the whole rehabilitation, because for him to have Mahavir Kmina is synonymous with blessing.

Links:

• https://www.mahavirkmina.org/single-post/la-pr%C3%B3tesis-que-le-devolvi%C3%B3-la-vida-a-yulieth

Accompanied by the sweet smell and taste of sugar cane, Leonel worked as he did every morning in the sugar mill. At approximately two o'clock in the afternoon, while leaving everything ready to make panela the next day, he was leaning on a pile of canes. When he least expected it, they slipped, causing his right foot to become entangled in the machine's pinions, leading him, undoubtedly, to an amputation.

Not even two hours passed. It was barely four o'clock in the afternoon and, he was already in the hospital. Minutes after the event, the ambulance took him to the medical center in Yolombó. Where they performed his surgery a few hours later, which according to Leonel, was successful because it went very well.

Leonel received a visit at his home from a user of two prostheses, who encouraged him, and gave him the good news. He shared with him the Corporation's telephone number, saying, "Well, call, and they can help you with a prosthesis or tell you what you can do."

A few months later, he received his first prosthesis and began a new path of hope. He went from depending on his family and crutches to moving around independently. Although he arrived with pain in his stump and some swelling, it only took him two hours to learn to walk again. Wearing the prosthesis donated by the Corporation, he thanks the people who believe in a better world, because what seemed impossible became an opportunity to start over.

Over time, he began to do some work. With a lot of motivation to move forward. Little by little, as he recovered his self-confidence, he performed activities, for which he emphasized: "it is practically not the same as before, but well, anyway, thanks to God I have moved forward with the help of all of you here, and I feel thrilled."

While waiting for his check-up appointment, he commented how good and happy he felt, expressing: "at least I was myself again, so that I didn't have to be worth it or wait for someone to do me a favor or I don't know, but that I could more or less see what I was capable of doing" for which his daughter commented, "He went back to work, it's not the same, because he can't get the cane, but cuts it, and asks who can get it for him. He has become a person who can fend for himself. It's not like before that he depended on us, and before the accident that we depended on him".

After understanding the power of the mind, he learned a great lesson: if you set your mind to it, you can achieve everything you dream of. Knowing that there are more people, who like him, have overcome different situations, he decided to share some words of encouragement, saying: "courage, to go forward, it is always good to trust again, first of all in God and in these people who are helping us" to which his daughter, Elizabeth, added: "it was very hard for me, and my mom because it is complicated anyway, but my God is kind, and for us, this foundation was the greatest blessing that God sent us because it is the truth."

His family has always been there to accompany and support him since he lives with his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren, always being his motivation. Elizabeth says: "even though Leonel's amputation was difficult for everyone, today we have a lot to be thankful for." For them, the service and attention they received from the Corporation's collaborators have been the best part of the process, because as Maria expressed: "the attention, the staff is excellent, all the change that gives life to people" and in this second visit to Mahavir Kmina, they felt reassured to know that they can continue to count on the service, whenever necessary.

With their smiles full of gratitude, they sent a message to all the people who believe and join the cause: "God bless you, because these donations and all this, change the lives of many people, they have them again, it is like the hope of being someone again" adding, "because when you are like this you lose, I don't know, many things, then when you come back like this, it is like when you die and are born again, it is the same."

Leonel is an example of the impact generated by the work done by the Corporation's team. As a prove of the lessons learned from each part of the process, they shared a reflection for everyone: "life is short, and we have to learn to value so many things that we do not value."

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