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| | | | Hanna O'BrienA quote from Hanna:
"Disability? What Disability? The only disability in life is the one that goes through your mind saying 'I can't do it'. Amputees are regular people (they just have cooler body parts) - ME"
15-year-old Hanna O’Brien is a congenital amputee, born with a left leg that extends just 3 inches below the knee-cap. Her right hand has only a thumb. Her left hand has nubs where her index and middle fingers would be. Three years ago, at a skating party, Hanna’s artificial leg came off and she put it back on. On the way home, she asked her parents, “Are there other kids like me doing that? Or am I the only one?” That’s when her family decided to seek out other amputees for Hanna to meet. They enrolled her in the ACA Children’s Camp, and in 2006, attended the ACA annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. There they met Stan Patterson and some of POA’s staff. Hanna’s mother, Dee, explained that Hanna’s prosthetic limb was not comfortable, and it was keeping her from enjoying many of the sports she loved. Stan told her that if they would come to Orlando, he’d be able to help her. And he did. Hanna was fit with a new socket and went back to her happy, active life. She recently received a special running leg, which allows her to run faster and farther than ever.
At home in North Carolina she plays softball, soccer and golf, and rides four-wheelers and a motocross cycle. She also enjoys fishing. When Hanna is in Orlando having her prosthesis adjusted or remade due to her rapid growth, she and her family spend a lot of time at the beach and enjoying the nearby theme parks. She does anything and everything she wants, and enjoys sharing her story and explaining how her prosthesis works. Not only does she now know that she’s “not the only one with a prosthesis”, she has made many new friends because of it. Hanna is blossoming into a very compassionate and confident young lady. |
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Prosthetic & Orthotic Associates of Central Florida | (800) 745-2556 | (407) 245-7770 |
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