Sabine's Echelon & Elan Real Life Story

Sabine Kilz's passion has been sports for a few years now, more precisely table tennis. She shares her fascination for this hobby with her husband, with whom she likes to stand at the table very often. However, the fun of sport is not a matter of course for the 54-year-old. Rather, she was convinced for a long time that there was no life for her without constant pain.

At the age of 17, her left leg was severely damaged in a moped accident. The injuries later turned into chronic inflammation, which resulted in many surgeries and years of pain. Sport was out of the question at that time, coping with everyday life was already a great challenge. So 32 years passed, especially on the bad, painful days, she thought about amputation, but kept discarding the idea. But then, suddenly, the inflammation broke out again and led to the decision: The leg should finally come off. That was in the summer of 2014, at that time there were still 4 months left until the operation. "Of course, you discuss all the risks with the doctor and also go looking for information on the Internet. The length of the residual limb is crucial, which was then discussed with the doctor and orthopaedic technician. Mentally, I didn't need to prepare myself much anymore, because I had no longer had a problem with the amputation. On the contrary, I felt a bit of relief. It could only get better," reports Sabine Kilz. She laughs and adds: "On the day of the operation, my husband and I thought about saying goodbye to my leg with a saying: 32 years of torture are enough, from 28.11.2014 a new life begins! Best regards, your self – 😉. From tomorrow a new life begins!".

She sometimes had a few doubts after the operation, because the wound in her stump just wouldn't heal. The medication also doubled Sabine's weight to 130 kg. When the cause of the wound disorder was finally found after 5 1/2 months – a forgotten thread – the stump healed relatively quickly. The subsequent first aid is like a liberation for them:

"I took my first steps at the beginning of summer. I was overjoyed to finally be able to walk without this excruciating pain."

She discovered table tennis a little later. Her husband, who has been practicing the sport since he was young, suggests that they develop a joint hobby out of it. He is not lacking in patience, at the beginning both practice for only 10 minutes. Then Sabine Kilz enjoys the sport more and more, her condition improves every time. Finally, she was runner-up in table tennis in Rhineland-Palatinate. Looking back, she realizes: "I can probably count myself among the happiest people because I have such a lovely husband and my two children, who have always been by my side. Without them, I wouldn't have done it so well."

Equally important, however, is the good care provided by her orthopaedic technician. "When we met Sabine, we were impressed by her self-confidence and her goals in the first conversation and were looking forward to intensive support," reports Marius Wolf. Since Sabine's weight was still high at the time, the decision was made to use Blatchford's Echelon foot to learn to walk in everyday life. The movable ankle joint of the foot mimics the natural functions and permanently adapts to the respective surface. "At the beginning, the first thing to do was to put Sabine back on both feet and restore her sense of balance, body awareness and confidence in her left leg. With increasing mobility and active use of prostheses, her requirements naturally changed and she became curious about what else was possible. It's really great to be able to experience something like this. Countless socket systems and feet have been tested in order to design a prosthesis according to their possibilities and ideas. Even after years of support, this is an ongoing process in which details can be improved again and again with the help of the latest techniques," Marius Wolf continues. Sabine is completely satisfied:

"I can do everything with the Echelon, I'm very active, and I also like to go hiking and swimming. Finally, I can do so much with my husband and children and I don't have to worry about whether I can do it! I wear my prosthesis all day long and now live my life the way I want to. I just feel really good!"

And finally, the fun of table tennis is there and it is important to find the right prosthesis for the new active life. Once again, Marius Wolf recommends a product from Blatchford, and the Elite Blade is chosen. It enables short, fast starts, lateral tripping movements and a good rolling behavior for the changing demands of table tennis.

Today, Sabine Kilz is very satisfied with her care and mobility. Recently, she was even able to extensively test the Elan prosthetic foot, which is also equipped with electronics and imitates the natural resistance of the muscles as well as the natural ankle movement. Conclusion: 10 km long hike as well as 3 days of trade fair without any problems - non-stop active in use and everything mastered perfectly!

When she looks back on the time before and after the amputation, her verdict is clear: "Today, with my prosthesis, I am much better off in many areas of my life than when I still had two legs. I can cope with my everyday life very well and also pursue my new hobby table tennis. I am extremely pleased and happy that I have decided to take this decisive step."

The team at the Wolf medical supply store agrees: "Sabine is the prime example of how impressive success can be achieved with a lot of patience and the attitude 'giving up is not an option'. We are really proud to be part of Sabine's story!"

The article was published in the magazine BARRIEREFREI, issue 06/2019