Woman Who Is Disabled Shocked To Find No Prostheses In Her Skin Tone
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By Elyse Wanshel, HuffPost Black Voices
A woman in Canada who recently had her left leg amputated is having a difficult time accepting her new body.
Rahab Wanjau, 30, was born with a deformity on her left tibia (or shinbone). She told HuffPost that after five painful surgeries, which left her relying on crutches most of her life, doctors recommended she have her leg amputated.
Rahab Wanjau
In June, she had it removed at Regina General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan. After her surgery, Wanjau went to Regina’s Wascana Rehabilitation Center to pick up a prosthetic leg and foot shell, or a cosmetic covering for a prosthetic foot.
She was shocked and disheartened to discover she only had two color options for a foot shell: one shade was way too light and another was too dark.
Wanjau said when she asked her prosthetist if she could customize the color, she was told she would have to pay out of pocket for it.
“We have lots of color options when buying house paints, models of cars and makeup foundations,” Wanjau told HuffPost. “It would be great if I can pick a foot shell in my skin tone.”
Out of frustration, Wanjau contacted Ottobock, the company that manufactures the foot, and learned that because of the prosthesis’s material, only the company or an outside professional could permanently change the color. This too would have to be paid for out of pocket.
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