Christopher is an excellent example of why I live for my profession and why my encounters and experiences with patients are, in fact, priceless.
We have many ups and downs in the prosthetic occupation and sometimes we struggle, but to experience the road to recovery with a new amputee, from amputation to his first step, is enough to give you goosebumps.
Christopher is 19 years old and a fearless young man who had his leg amputated above the knee in December of 2018. Deist & Associates provided him with his first trans-femoral prosthesis to allow him to walk for the first time since Christopher sustained his injury. This was a long time coming as Christopher suffered complications after his amputation, leaving him with an infection which delayed his first steps until he came to see Deist & Associates.
Christopher’s first fitting and steps were delayed…until today! So, today was the kind of experience I live for in my profession! – Jaco Deist
Here at Deist & Associates we fit Christopher with a test prosthetic to start his gait training with Elrise, the Bio Kineticist. We expected a few slow small steps with two crutches, we were blown away by Christopher’s determination and what he was able to achieve in such a short time. Leveling up to only using one crutch only took an hour. Check out the videos below to see this resolute young man take his first steps since undergoing a grueling recovery process, strong and unwavering as ever.
Christopher, you were amazing and it was a blessed experience to be part of your journey!
Christopher went home to his Mom, to surprise her by walking to her. In a testimonial to Deist & Associates, Christopher’s mother said “I cannot describe how I felt when Christopher walked across the grass towards me, all while he was smiling ear to ear.” She loudly rejoiced and showered him with hugs and kisses, then, admittedly, shed her tears of joy. “It’s absolutely fantastic to see my child walk again. I thank Jaco Deist from the bottom of my heart that he made it all possible, you are a great person and brilliant at what you do. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better to help my child.”
We will keep you posted to show his improvement week after week!
Enjoy every step Christopher!