Heather Abbott was a passionate high heel wearer before she lost her leg in the Boston Marathon bombing last spring. Although the leg is gone for good, she’s reclaiming her style this week with an amazingly realistic prosthetic that can be worn with high heels.
The 38-year-old was going into the Forum restaurant in Boston last April 15 when the bomb went off. Her leg was badly injured, and eventually she chose to amputate it below the knee. She’s been in physical therapy to learn how to walk again with an artificial leg, but has kept covered up because it didn’t look real, and she was self-conscious about it.
On Thursday, she tried on her new prosthetic with a pair of four-inch peep-toed heels and was thrilled with the results. “I can’t believe how much it looks like a real foot,” she said.
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Indeed, the silicone leg is so realistic that the toenails can be painted, and it even has freckles and a tiny bit of razor burn.
Abbott said she knew she was “going to be ok” when she met a woman with a similar leg who could wear high heels. She had avoided wearing dresses and skirts because she didn’t like how “fake” her fake leg looked. And of course she missed her beloved heels.
The president of the company that built her new leg for her said that most people wouldn’t be able to walk in heels so soon after losing a limb, but Abbott is one determined lady. After a week, she says she’s still learning to walk in heels, but she’ll “get the eventually.”
Do you think it’s important to reclaim your style after a disfiguring event?
Image via Wendy/Flickr