The day when I resume life on two feet is getting tantalisingly close.

On my return to Cardiff this afternoon I had an appointment with my prosthetist, Ian, who works for Blatchford.

He wrapped Mr Stumpy in cling film before covering him with strips of fabric and plaster of paris, which he kneaded and shaped around my leg. The result was an exact plaster mould of my stump, which Ian will use to make the socket onto which my artificial leg will be attached.

He even gave me a choice of colours. Apparently black legs are very much in vogue at the moment. Thankfully, though, Ian is no Henry Ford and didn't say I could have any colour I wanted as long as it was black. Being an old fashioned kind of guy I decided to stick with the more conservative pinky flesh coloured option.

If there are no hold ups or unforeseen problems my very first leg will be ready for a test drive next Monday.

Ian’s warned me it won’t be the world’s most aesthetically pleasing leg. Mr S’s circumference at the bottom is still 4 centimetres wider than the area just below my knee, meaning that Artificial Leg Version 1.0 is going to be a fairly bulky specimen. Hopefully a lot of the muscle bulk will reduce once I start exercising the leg.

Frankly I don’t care how big the prosthesis is. I just want to be able to walk again.

Picture: Casting 1
Picture: Casting 2

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