A woman who wears a prosthetic leg has revealed that she still has both of her feet – with one attached to her thigh.
Emily Fogly, 27, who had pediatric bone cancer, had part of her knee removed after being diagnosed when she was just 15 years old.
‘It’s a very unique surgery called an amputation rotationplasty, which is a type of amputation,’ she explained in a recent TikTok video.
‘It’s really hard to process if you haven’t seen one for yourself,’ she added.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a rotationplasty is a type of amputation that preserves the lower part of your leg after removing the knee.
‘A surgeon removes the diseased or injured upper part of your leg, then reattaches the lower part (shin, ankle and foot) to your remaining thigh,’ the site explained. ‘But they rotate the lower part 180 degrees before reattaching it, so your foot points backward.’
The surgery is an alternative to an above the knee surgery, using the still existing and working joint to help the patient walk.
Because Emily’s foot is attached below the knee, she slips her foot into the prosthetic leg when she walks.
Emily Fogly, 27, who had pediatric bone cancer , had part of her knee removed after being diagnosed when she was just 15 years old (stock image)
‘When I bend and point my foot, it moves the whole bottom of the prosthetic,’ she explains.
‘Modern technology and a good prosthetic, it can look really realistic,’ Emily continued.
The new mom showed a spot on the ankle which she can push to adjust the joint on her prosthetic leg so she can wear different shoes – including heels.
‘People with this type of amputation can run, swim, hike, snowboard, dance,’ she listed. ‘For me personally it’s given me a much better quality of life.’
The area around Emily’s knee was removed due to bone cancer. The surgery took a total of 19 hours to complete, which included fusing bones together and coiling nerves and blood vessels.
She added that it wasn’t her doctor’s first choice of treatment, recalling a ‘ton’ of surgeries in which they tried to save her entire leg.
‘[I was] also doing chemotherapy which hinders your ability to heal,’ she added. ‘But it never quite healed.’
Emily said there was so much scar tissue surrounding the surgical sites that she couldn’t bend it, making every day tasks impossible.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a rotationplasty is a type of amputation that preserves the lower part of your leg after removing the knee
She explained her leg ‘looked’ like a leg, but wasn’t functioning properly and didn’t get any better after she stopped chemotherapy, which is when she entertained the idea of an amputation.
‘In hindsight, I wish I would have done that right off the bat,’ she shared.
‘I don’t regret my choice,’ she declared.
In a comment, she admitted she ‘definitely’ had to train her brain to move her foot differently and get used to it.
‘But my body learned to adapt surprisingly quick!’ she said.
The Cleveland Clinic says children make the best candidates for rotationplasty because their bones are still growing.
