Jonathan Balcott

This story began in 2002 with a very joyful event. Mary became the mother of twins Jonathan and Anna. However, unfortunately, the double happiness was overshadowed by health problems in the newborn boy. Jonathan was born with aplasia (congenital underdevelopment) of the lower extremities. On the left leg, the baby had only a part of the thigh. It was obvious that such pathology is not treated and the only way of rehabilitation is prosthetics. 

Meanwhile, the young mother was going through a real shock. Mary was haunted by painful questions. Why did this happen to her child? Will he be able to live with such an anomaly? Of course, she was insanely hurt and scared. I was afraid of the unknown, complete ignorance of what to do next. But when the first days of absolute confusion passed, Mary decided: Jonathan will grow and develop like a normal child! — Since birth, we have been engaged in swimming, massages and other types of development, — she recalls today. — And as soon as my son turned one year old, I started actively looking for prosthetics. Trying to find what we need, we went through a lot of options. There were different prosthetists, different prostheses, but none could give the main thing — the desired activity, more or less normal and comfortable walking without additional supports and physical suffering of the little man. 

The fateful meeting of mother and son with the prosthetist of the ORTHO-M center took place in 2007. For hours Mary and the doctors discussed what could be done with such a complex aplasia. The prosthetists were drawing something, thinking about it, offering all sorts of options. The prosthetics process was, of course, not fast. The first stump sleeves had to be redone, and several times! Until they turned out to be those in which Jonathan felt comfortable, which did not fall off his feet, did not press anywhere and did not calluse. The stump receivers were a success, they sat well, and, lo and behold, no straps were required to fix the prostheses! And they also turned out to be beautiful — Spiderman on the sleeves of the lower leg and thigh, bright red Bokk children's modules. At the very sight of them, everyone froze with admiration and even envy! Therefore, Jonathan felt like the hero of the day wherever he appeared! It would seem that there is nothing to envy — the guy does not have both legs?! But how he walks and on what! Each new cartridge case was a masterpiece unique! What can we say about the casings with tigers, which Andrei especially remembered! — This is the first time we have encountered such attention, professionalism, caring attitude towards patients from the prosthetist.

Ortho-M prosthetists have an exceptional quality — they do not just make good prostheses, they set a goal so that the patient is comfortable, comfortable, and that it is possible to walk on prostheses for a long time without getting tired. They set us on fire with their ideas, without their ebullient energy we would have been standing still for a long time," Mary is convinced. As a result, Jonathan acquired the long-awaited ability to walk smoothly and confidently. At the same time, both of his legs were bent where they should be, due to the use of the knee module. Although the walking training itself took time — the artificial knee did not forgive mistakes. But Jonathan became less tired, played more actively with his peers, spent hours in the yard, going far from home. And also — he became taller, and to his joy, he finally turned out to be the same height as his twin sister, which was very important to him! And if earlier, returning home, he immediately took off his prostheses, now, after spending a day on them, he asked: "Mom, can I wear prosthetics at home?". And for her, these requests were the best assessment of the prosthetist's work.

To increase the functional activity and, importantly for the young handsome man, the aesthetics of the prostheses, it was necessary to decide on a rather difficult step — amputation. At first, the boy's mother was afraid to even talk to him about the operation. — The persistence of doctors, their reasoned arguments, demonstration of the possibilities of future prosthetics helped. That convinced me, but not Jonathan. It took him a while," - Mary shares her memories. In 2013, after very painful thoughts, worries and worries of mom and the little man, they finally decided… Ahead of them was a trip to America and re-amputations.  Then there were two months in a wheelchair, so that numerous stitches would not disperse, rare walks around the house on crutches, and here it is - the long—awaited visit to Ortho-M plastering, fitting, centering and, finally, the long-awaited… Jonathan is back on both feet! A month later, Mary called and almost in tears (joy) and with the highest artistry, Jonathan began to bring a remark in the school diary: "Parents, take action — Jonathan rushes around the school during recess, along the corridors and up the stairs! The behavior is terrible!" 

Today, if you meet Jonathan on the street, then you will see a tall, handsome, smiling guy, a master of sports in swimming, a multiple winner of city and all-Russian competitions, the king of "long water"! The prostheses allowed the boy to do a lot — go to school and shops, play pranks at recess, dance at discos, get to training on his own, go to competitions and training camps… 

If there was one thing he couldn't do, it was a real full—fledged run. In the spring of 2018, this cherished dream of his also came true: Jonathan received running prostheses. This is how the head of the Orto-M center evaluates the work done — The task before us was more than difficult. Jonathan is a patient with a complex amputation, so everything had to be thought out to the smallest detail. We tried out several options of components from different manufacturers, running feet with and without a heel, selected the best options and the right assembly scheme. 

It is almost impossible to describe what Jonathan felt when he received new opportunities. Is it really possible to run? Run! Fear and anticipation mixed together… Step in place, step forward, more, more… At first, Jonathan could not understand that running in his case should not be the way everyone runs, but somehow in a special way. Therefore, he needed recommendations and training runs with the support of specialists. Today Jonathan is already running on his own. And there is no doubt that he has many kilometers of sports treadmills and bright straight roads ahead of him. 

However, the most important victory of this purposeful young man is not that he learned to run, in fact, without legs. And the fact is that he has learned to live like his healthy peers! And a lot here depended on the mother, who promised herself that her boy would be no different from others! It was she who insisted that Jonathan study at an ordinary non-specialized school. Neither the son nor the mother were frightened by stereotypes about child cruelty and rejection in school collectives of children with special needs. From the very beginning, Jonathan easily coped with the adaptation in the classroom, he goes to school with pleasure, is very sociable and friendly with his peers. What to hide, in the lower grades there were some concerns on the part of a teacher who had no experience working with such children, and questions from children who saw prostheses for the first time and were curious to find out how they work. But thanks to Jonathan's open nature, his charm and friendliness, all these moments quickly faded into the background, and the usual learning process began. 

Now Jonathan is studying at the Department of "Adaptive Sports and Rehabilitation" of the University of Physical Education and Sports. His example proves that, despite all the difficulties and obstacles, people with amputated limbs have good, and sometimes unlimited opportunities for a full life! Practice shows that it is difficult, but real. Modern means of prosthetics, the possibilities of medicine, the resources of schools and sports organizations, the positive attitude of others, the help of the state and, most importantly, the family gives them the will to win and confidence in the future!