ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
ThatsLife
  • WIN
  • News
  • Real Life
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Pets
  • Your Stars
  • Puzzles
  • Podcasts
  • Video
Subscribe
  1. Home
  2. Real Life

Do we cut off our girl's leg?

What an amazing girl! - by Jacqueline Mey
  • 08 Sep 2019
Do we cut off our girl's leg?

Here Kylie Pratt, 36, from Newcastle, NSW tells the story in her own words.

Shouting from the side of the pool, I watched my girl Emilee, 10, zoom through the water.

‘Go Em!’ my hubby
James cheered.

Meeting her at the finish line, she barely had enough time to grab her towel before we smothered her in hugs.

‘I am so proud of you,’ I told her.

‘Thanks Mum, I love you,’ she smiled.

The truth was, I never thought my daughter would love me after what
I had done.

When I was pregnant with Emilee, a routine ultrasound showed a small abnormality around her right leg. 

‘She will most likely have a club foot,’ our doctor said. ‘It’s nothing to stress about.’

But as a first time mum, I couldn’t shake the worry that I felt.

Needing to wait until she was born to find out the full extent of her condition, I nervously watched my growing bump.

Every day was a new emotion – excited to meet my little princess, concerned for her condition, scared of the unknown.

As soon as the tiny bundle was placed in my arms though, I instantly forgot about the looming unknowns.

‘She’s perfect,’ James and I both cooed.

But it was obvious something wasn’t right with her leg.

From her knee, down her entire leg,  it looked boneless and floppy and she was whisked off for tests.

Two weeks later, we sat across from the doctor.

‘Emilee has tibial hemimelia,’ he said.

Explaining that our girl had underdeveloped bones in her leg, we were given two options.

‘Amputation in my opinion is the best option,’ he said.

‘Or?’ I asked, desperate to keep her limb.

‘As she grows, she will need to undertake numerous surgeries, but there is no guarantee they will work,’
he said.

I felt like my mind was going to explode.

‘She may never walk?’ my voice shook in fear.

Watching the doc’s head nod, I stared down at my innocent girl in my arms.

James and I got a second opinion, but that doctor broke the same news.

We were left with the hardest decision – do we cut off our girl’s leg?

As the weeks ticked by, Emilee struggled to move
and her leg just flopped behind her.

‘She won’t be able to wear high heels, she won’t be able to drive, kids will tease her,’ I rattled off my fears to James one night.

emilee.pratt09 View Profile
26 likes - View Post on Instagram
Take me back to last week. I have the best time performing in Star Struck. I loved every minute of it. I can't wait for next year. #starstruck #danceperformance #somuchfun #littledancer #bringonnextyear #representingmyschool

 ‘She’s a fighter,’ James comforted me.

‘What if she hates us?’ I cried. ‘What if she says I wish Mum never took my leg?’

As I sat on the couch, Emilee, then nine months, desperately tried to crawl across the carpet.

Frustrated, her leg dragged behind her like a dead weight.

It’s like her leg isn’t even part of her body, I thought, watching her getting angrier.

‘I think we should amputate,’ I told James.

Calling her specialist, we made the very anxious appointment and the surgery was booked in.

That night, I rocked my sweet girl to sleep.

‘Don’t hate me,’ I whispered.

A few weeks later, she was wheeled off for surgery.

Have we made the right decision? I fretted, pacing the corridors.

Eventually, the surgeon appeared.

‘Everything went perfectly,’ he told us.

Seeing my girl with one limb less, my heart was beating out of my chest, still not confident we’d done the right thing.

But when she woke, a huge smile crept up on her face.

Then, gripping onto the cot, she pulled herself up standing on her one leg.  

With tear-filled eyes, I wrapped her in my arms.

Like a completely different girl, she could crawl with ease and whipped around the house like any other tot. 

Six weeks later, she was fitted with her first baby pink prosthetic.

Once the tiny limb was secured in place, Emilee was fascinated by her new leg.

At home, she’d pull herself up using the coffee table.

A week before her first birthday, Emilee put her leg forward followed by her prosthetic, then she took another step and another…

‘James, she’s walking!’ I screamed into the other room.

Smothering our girl in hugs and kisses, I couldn’t believe how strong she was.

In that moment, we knew we’d done the right thing.

From then on, Emilee didn’t slow down.

Twice a year, she was fitted with a new prosthetic to keep up with her growing body.

‘I think I want rainbow this time,’ she said once.

With every new leg, came a new colour and design, from Frozen
to unicorns and even the Eiffel Tower – Emilee has had it all!

Luckily we get the legs through an NDIS allowance.

emilee.pratt09 View Profile
34 likes - View Post on Instagram
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey to state champion, most of all my brother who is my biggest fan. I was lucky enough to make some amazing new friends @bikesbeercars and win gold in the 50 Freestyle, Backstroke & Butterfly. #pssa #pssastateswimming #nswstatechampionships #paralympics #swimlikeafish #goldmedals #edgeworthheightspublicschool #hunter #newfriends #sydneyaquaticcentre #myparalympicjourney #mybrotherlovesme #freestyle #butterfly #backstroke #dontdismyability #abilitynotdisability

Now, with two younger brothers, Aiden, seven, and Jesse, one, Em is always running around with them. 

And she loves her swimming club. Training hard, she dreams of competing in the 2024 Paralympics.

Recently, Em and I came across an amazing charity that sends outgrown prosthetics overseas to help those who can’t afford them.

So, surrounded by some of her old limbs, we snapped a picture before posting them off to benefit others who are missing a right leg.

Now looking back, I would remove Emilee’s leg a thousand times over.

So strong-willed and determined, she’s an inspiration to us all.

Nothing holds her back and I can’t wait for her to grow into the incredible woman she is destined to be.

Jacqueline Mey
Jacqueline Mey
Jacqueline is a Features Writer for that’s life! magazine. Previously working at Prevention, she has published works across Bella, Closer, Take a Break, Real People and that’s life! UK. She is also the host of Girlfriend’s Beauty Boss Podcast.

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Subscribe to That's Life!

Subscribe Now
Subscribe to That's Life!

Recommended to you

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis
Watch 0:37

There's A Better, Faster Way To Predict Sepsis

{headline}

{headline}

Pinned under my car for 12 hours - HOW I SURVIVED

Pinned under my car for 12 hours - HOW I SURVIVED

Mum diagnosed with rare cancer in her foot after first baby saved by her HIGH HEELS

Mum diagnosed with rare cancer in her foot after first baby saved by her HIGH HEELS

Anzac hero: 'I lost my leg but it won't stop me'

Anzac hero: 'I lost my leg but it won't stop me'

Brisbane woman set to sue New York authorities after LOSING LEGS in subway train accident

Brisbane woman set to sue New York authorities after LOSING LEGS in subway train accident

{headline}

{headline}

I lost both my feet to frostbite

I lost both my feet to frostbite

Woman has pedicure and loses her foot

Woman has pedicure and loses her foot

Amputation horror: how I saved my son’s leg

Amputation horror: how I saved my son’s leg

{headline}

{headline}

A bluebottle nearly took my leg: my amputation nightmare!

A bluebottle nearly took my leg: my amputation nightmare!

Father of two loses his legs after charging battery

Father of two loses his legs after charging battery

Woman faces amputation after being hit by a BUS on holiday

Woman faces amputation after being hit by a BUS on holiday

I woke up with no hands and feet

I woke up with no hands and feet

Dad's got robot arms!

Dad's got robot arms!

Woman lucky to be alive after contracting SEPSIS from her high heels

Woman lucky to be alive after contracting SEPSIS from her high heels

'I went to the gym and lost my leg' - brave Sarah speaks out about her life-changing injury

'I went to the gym and lost my leg' - brave Sarah speaks out about her life-changing injury

ThatsLife
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy
ThatsLife Magazine Subscribe
  • Gold Club
  • Online Entry FAQ
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Competitions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • New Idea
  • Who
  • Girlfriend
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • Better Homes and Gardens
  • BHG Shop
  • marie claire
  • Beauty Crew
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • Home Beautiful
  • Hard to Find
  • Australian Women's Weekly
© 2023 Are Media PTY LTD
All products are independently selected, tested or recommended by our team of experts. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. Are Media and its brands may have generated text partially using generative AI. Upon generating draft language, our editors review, edit, and revise it to their own liking. We take ultimate responsibility for the content of our publications.
Get more from

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe to That's Life!-+ save!

Shop This Offer
Subscribe to That's Life!