Louisa Brown lost her leg in 2002. Today, she inspires and uplifts amputees at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital.
If you visit the Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital in Auckland Park, Joburg, you may see Louisa Brown, a vivacious patient liaison officer, making her rounds to chat with amputees who come through their doors.
Known for her warmth and strength, Brown brings hope to those facing challenges.
As she goes from bed to bed, you will notice that Brown herself has a prosthetic limb.
Brown lost her leg in 2002
Aged 25, she lost her left leg in a motor car accident in 2002.
“I had been married for a year when suddenly my whole world crumbled,” she said.
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“Going from having two healthy legs to waking up from a medically induced coma to realise I had lost a leg, was devastating. My left leg had been amputated above the knee.”
While struggling to procure a prosthetic leg a year after the accident, she fell pregnant with twins.
“After they were born, I had to try to walk around carrying the twins with a prosthetic leg that wasn’t up to scratch,” she said.
Physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually gruelling
“I had little confidence at the time, but was left with no option but to push through the discomfort and irritation. I didn’t have access to the kind of rehabilitation care that is now on offer at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital.”
She describes her journey as physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually gruelling.
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Fast forward 23 years, and equipped with the knowledge she gained through her experience, Brown is employed by Heinrich Grimsehl Orthotics & Prosthetics at the hospital.
She is not merely a sympathetic member of staff, but one who intimately knows what their amputee patients experience.
Not merely a sympathetic member of staff
“As soon as a new person coming to our hospital after an amputation sees me, they realise I look like them,” she said.
“I deliberately dress to show my prosthetic leg, wearing skirts, dresses or shorts. Immediately, they can see that I’ve walked this path myself and truly understand what they’re going through.”
