Medical school graduate surprised with prosthetic running leg
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "Three and a half years ago, I actually was in the middle of my medical rotations in medical school, and I started to develop foot pain and eventually was diagnosed with a clot," said Dr. Andrea Szabo. "And so, we had to amputate my foot because I wasn't getting blood flow there anymore."
Szabo, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, is currently a 2nd-year internal medicine pediatrics resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her experience as a patient has allowed her to empathize even more with those she serves.
In the three and a half years since her amputation, Szabo had to relearn how to walk. But she wanted more.
"Giving up was not an option for me," she said. "I want to keep doing the things that I love doing like dancing and getting out in the world."
And today, a special surprise helped her take a huge step towards her goal.
Szabo was gifted a prosthetic running blade at the Ossur and Challenged Athletes Foundation Running and Mobility Clinic. It was a surprise that the aforementioned organizations and her prosthetist helped to coordinate.
There to present the gift was Femita Ayanbeku from Boston, Massachusetts, who similarly received a running blade at a clinic in 2015. The renowned athlete and spokesperson took her talents to the Paralympics twice.
"When I first came to this clinic, I was learning how to run," said Ayanbeku. "I think it really empowers people to feel a sense of community. And to see someone like me here, it's like, oh, I can do that."
Szabo might not have her sights set on the Paralympics like Ayanbeku, but she has her own goal she wants to achieve.
"My goal was to run at least a half marathon or a marathon one day and I was getting up to like 10 miles at a time before my amputation," she said. "And now, I'm really hopeful that I'll be able to build myself back up again."
The Challenged Athletes Foundation works to provide grants to people like Szabo, whose insurance plans may not cover the cost of a prosthetic running blade. ssur is a worldwide company that pioneers technologies that lead to the creation of such prosthetics.
To learn more about Ossur and Challenged Athletes Foundation, visit their websites
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