amputee lego prosthetic

Occupational therapist Christina Stephens, who had her foot amputated after a crash injury, created a prosthetic entirely out of Legos. She rose to the challenge when a co-worker in her research lab jokingly suggested she make a prosthetic leg out of the toy construction blocks. Awesome creative spirit there!  This video at DesignBoom shows the myserious creative process at work, as Stephens divines the way to creating a lego prosthetic.

It made us wonder how the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing were faring; they’d been long-gone from the news but not from the horrendous life change that hit them in an instant nearly two months ago. With the simultaneity that happens to us daily, yesterday the New York Times published Beyond the Finish Line, a photo essay about Jeff Bauman who lost his lower legs in the blast nearly. Since then, Bauman has been through three surgeries, daily physical therapy, and is now beginning the arduous process of learning to walk with artificial limbs. He took his first steps not long ago.

Josh Haner/The New York Times
Josh Haner/The New York Times

There’s both a slide show and a video of Bauman on the Times site (YouTube link here); his fierce spirit is present despite the shock that still shows on his face. Witness his words:

I’ve overcome all my main hurtles. Now it’s just all about healing, getting to that point of 100%. What I’ve been through is crazy. This random act makes a lot of people feel unsafe and since I’m okay, and I kind of like show people that I’m fine and that I’m not going to let this hold me down, people are like “All right, then we’re not going to let it hold us down either”.

When something bad happens people need something else to look to make it better.

And that, it appears, is what Bauman, the guy “who didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life”, has become.

Related posts: boston: we will finish the race!
chris weyant’s perfect new yorker cartoon for boston
stephen colbert on boston’s fierce spirit and grit
boston: spirit and bravery as antidote

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *