Mobility clinic helps amputees like Mia Stewart achieve their goals
Mia Stewart has used a prosthetic leg since she was nine months old. Now aged 8, she has an important message to share
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Disability* is part of life and people with prosthetic* limbs are just as capable – if not more capable – of adapting to and overcoming many of life’s challenges.
This is the message from eight-year-old Mia Stewart and her family who have just spent four days at the world renowned* Mobility Clinic in Melbourne.
Mia was born with a severe case of Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD) where she had no hip and an underdeveloped femur*.
In 2019, Mia travelled to America to undergo rotationplasty – a type of surgery where a part of a limb, such as the foot, is removed and the remaining part of the limb, such as the lower leg, is rotated and reattached to the body in a different position, creating a new joint which can be used to control a prosthetic limb.
Mia, who lives in Sydney, has been using a prosthetic leg since she was nine months old.
“This has allowed Mia to participate alongside her peers and the wider community as ‘normally’ as possible,” her mother, Leila Bright, said.
Mia was one of 95 participants in the recent mobility clinic led by acclaimed amputee* physiotherapist* Cathy Howells and her team of physio coaches, prosthetists and orthotists*.
The annual clinic aims to give amputees, both young and old, tips on how to walk better, run, play sport and simply improve their mobility.
“It’s always so amazing to attend these clinics,” Ms Bright said.
“Beyond the mobility side of things like techniques to improve Mia’s walking, more than anything, it’s the connection to community that is so great for Mia.
“Seeing people like her in an environment where she isn’t being questioned or stared at, is invaluable*.”
Physiotherapist and head coach of the clinic Ms Howells said the annual clinic was an “extremely powerful” networking and learning event for amputees of all ages.
“Leading the Mobility Clinic has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Ms Howells, who has worked exclusively* with amputees for 30 years.
“I’ve had it described to me that it feels like they’re coming home because the clinic is all about them and everyone is the same as them.
“They may never have met another amputee before. We’ve got a bunch of kids who come every year and they’re fast friends.”
Ms Howells said they ran other amputee clinics and camps throughout the year including surfing, skiing, land-based and a three-day camp for teenagers.
“I’m just so happy to be a part of empowering and enabling [participants],” she said.
“I think what these clinics do is they empower amputees to participate more and reclaim the things in their life that they want to do.
“[Amputees] have the same needs as everybody else in terms of inclusion, in terms of access, and in terms of playing sports and occupations,” she said.
“They need the same opportunities, it’s just that they may need a prosthesis to help them achieve those goals.”
Participants also had the chance to meet ambassadors: retired Paralympic snowboarder Joany Badenhorst, adaptive surfer Jade ‘Red’ Wheatley, track and field training Paralympian Sarah Walsh, retired downhill skiing and cycling Paralympian Sam Hallam, and interior designer Chase Blackman.
GLOSSARY
- disability: a physical or mental condition that makes it difficult or impossible for a person to walk, see, hear, speak, learn, or do other important things
- prosthetic: a device designed to replace a missing part of the body or to make a part of the body work better
- renowned: famous, known or talked about by many people
- femur: the long, straight bone located in your upper leg, or thigh
- amputee: a person who’s had an arm or a leg surgically removed
- physiotherapist: a university-trained health professional who can assess and treat conditions or injuries that affect the way you move and do daily activities
- prosthetists and orthotists: design and fit artificial limbs and supportive devices
- invaluable: having value too great to guess or measure; priceless
- exclusively: in a way limited to a single person, group, category, method etc
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QUICK QUIZ
- What does PFFD stand for?
- Where did Mia Stewart undergo rotationplasty in 2019?
- How old was Mia when she started using a prosthetic leg?
- What is the aim of the annual Mobility Clinics?
- Who is the physiotherapist and head coach of the clinics?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Introduce the clinic
Imagine that you are on the organising committee for the next Össur Mobility Clinic and it is your job to secure funding to run the event.
Write an introductory paragraph about the clinic that will draw in a potential sponsor to find out more. Focus on briefly explaining what the clinic is about and why it is so important.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
This news article has a positive tone and focuses on the capabilities of amputees and benefits of the clinic to the attendees. Highlight (or write down) 10 examples of words within the text that contribute to this positive tone.
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are important in connecting ideas in a text and improving its flow. They help to join sentences, clauses or phrases to create a coherent and meaningful text.
Co-ordinating conjunctions are used to connect equal ideas or phrases – for example: and, but, or, so, yet, nor.
Subordinating conjunctions are connecting words or phrases that join a subordinating clause to the main idea. They provide additional information about the main idea – for example: because, although, while, when, if, since, until.
Complete at least two activities from the choices below:
- Read the news article carefully and highlight all the conjunctions used in the text.
- Write down the conjunctions you found and the words or phrases they connect.
- Identify the type of conjunction used (coordinating conjunctions or subordinating conjunctions).
- Explain the role of conjunctions in connecting ideas and improving the flow of a text.
- Write a short paragraph about Mia Stewart and how her story shows the importance of resilience and determination in overcoming challenges. Challenge yourself to re-use three conjunctions from the text. Can you up-level them to a higher level conjunction? Does it make the sentence better or harder to read? (Sometimes, the basic conjunction is the best choice).