Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center - (Page 54)

FOUNDATION By Amy Wilson Backthe in Game Thanks to Phelps Regional Health Care Foundation, a Rolla boy can take to the gridiron with a new, comfortable prosthetic leg ike many other boys his age, 12-year-old David Odun-Ayo likes to play sports. But when he asked his mother whether he could play football, she was less than thrilled: David, who was born with one leg shorter than the other, has worn a prosthesis his entire life. “He begged me to let him try at least one practice,” says his mother, Theresa. “Then it was just one game, and then just trying to finish the season. He has such resilience.” L Playing Through The Pain David, who was born with a rare congenital anomaly that hinders normal development of the upper leg bone and hip joint, is unable to walk without the prosthetic leg. But with it he’s like any other active 12-year-old—eager to jump in and try new things. “I just like having fun,” he says. “If I didn’t try, I would be thinking about how much I had missed if I hadn’t.” As a result, a prosthesis that had been provided by the Shriners Hospitals for Children about three years ago already was showing signs of wear and tear. “The Shriners were very gracious about what they did for us,” says Theresa. “But David would want to play basketball, and would come home from school with his prosthesis all bent and twisted.” At 54 Vim & Vigor • Fall 2 011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center
Features
Departments
Opening Thoughts
Better, Faster, Safer
Healthy Hues
The New Survivors
First (Aid) Things First
Find Your Groove
Stay in Circulation
‘X’ Marks the Spot
Pregnancy Predictors
Play It Safe
Auxiliary
Mother Nature
Ask the Experts
Back in the Game

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Phelps County Regional Medical Center