After returning home, the three of us could rest, but not too long. We were preparing Leuško for the next few days when he would have to test his “leg”. All of us knew that we would need a lot of strength, patience and love. But luckily we have a lot of love to share in our little family of three plus one tiny hamster girl. The next day, we tried to put the leg on correctly, but even after a long day in Vienna, it was very hard to get it right with the deformed leg. After several attempts, my wife was the successful one and Leo was able to take his first steps.
Our son started to become vertical earlier and he replaced the regular walking with his own way, on his knees, which in his head automatically introduced a deformation of the inclination and rotation of the lower limb. Since I mostly work from home, I was able to be helpful a little but all the credit and respect goes to my wife who without any knowledge of rehabilitation made miracles. Evka, thank you for standing by our son and teaching him how to stand and then walk. When I saw him standing for the first time without help, it was magical for me, for us. It was about 3-4 days after Leo got his “new leg”. The first steps brought smiles and happiness not only to our faces, but also on grandparents, aunts, uncles and those closest to us. Thank you family, it brought us closer, although we knew that Leo would have great support with you long before he was born.
As agreed, we went to Vienna again for the final adjustments and measurements of the leg. The leg had to be slightly longer than the healthy one and the shoe size is also a bit bigger, as the orthoprosthesis should last at least a year. This day of adjusting and finalizing the leg was not so time-consuming and after signing the consents we left Vienna. In case of any problems we were informed to contact Ms. Moravcová from Pohlig. At home, we continued to practice walking and today, after a few weeks, our little hero is able to head into new adventures easily with his new leg. We keep discovering the children’s world, playgrounds nearby where he can let go. We go for walks and continue with rehabilitation in Physio-Medical with PhDr. Robert Baumann. He takes care of our son in terms of posture in stable balance and we can only recommend his professional approach.
While writing these words, I must not forget that our health insurance played an important part in this process. The first leg/orthoprosthesis was paid from our saved funds and cost 4,500 € in total. We are currently still in the process of communicating and documenting any refund from Dôvera insurance company. However, according to estimates, this leg will serve Leuško for a maximum of one year, and then it will be necessary to construct and set up a new one. These costs, even if we work harder, are of course very high. We want Leo to live a happy, beautiful and successful life, without limitations. However, when he chooses any freetime activity, he will need another leg adapted directly to that activity, whether it will be running, cycling, skiing or later driving.
At the moment, we are really happy that Leuško is trying to live a life like every other child. He likes to swing, climb and also slide on slides. We walk in the parks and enjoy the time together with our loved ones, grateful for every step we have taken together so far. We thank you for any donations and support and we believe that in the future our Civic Association Leo’sfriends will help not only Leuško but also children and families who experience a similar life situation.
