Diabetic patients, amputees grateful for prosthetic capacity building programme

He said his journey with the prosthetic was frustrating at times, especially after he was told that he had to undergo training to use the support.

“The exercises, to me it wasn’t hard and like I said I have my mind poised to do it. I didn’t know they had all of this here. That was a plus for me,” Olutunde said.

He said this recent training helped him to improve his ability to walk up ramps and steps. He hopes to invent a type of technology that supports prosthetic users.

Meanwhile, Selena Ali has used prosthetics for 26 years since her right leg, from the knee to the foot, was amputated following a motor vehicular accident. Ali believes that because of her disability, she has to put in 110 per cent of the average person’s efforts and she is constantly trying to encourage other amputees to look at it as a glass-half-full situation.

“They give us another chance at life and it doesn’t stop at just giving us a limb, the physiotherapists do a great job in ensuring that we know how to use it properly.

“In Guyana, we are stigmatized for having a disability but like I say, we are no longer disabled, we are differently abled, we can work,” Ali said.

She works a full-time job, drives and does most of her daily activities.

She encourages people to remember that acceptance is key to regaining independence after amputation.