A decade ago, Wendy Ledbetter’s life seemed like the perfect picture of contentment. Admittedly a cycle enthusiast, Wendy, like most other people, took for granted the same less-adventurous things in life…like going to the mailbox. Then one day in July of 2001, as she was riding her motorcycle, she was suddenly broadsided by a dump truck. The entire left side of Wendy’s body was crushed, and along with that it seemed, her picture perfect life.
Wendy at that time was married, and the mother of 2 young children. To add insult to her injury, her husband filed for a divorce while Wendy was still in recovery. "He couldn’t bear the stress" Wendy says, “I guess I wasn’t perfect anymore." The hurt in her voice is still evident as she describes the trauma that it caused her and even more so, her kids. By April of 2006, Wendy had undergone 36 surgeries on her leg and she was totally despondent. "I was missing my kids growing up" she says, “They needed me to be there.” Wendy’s injured leg was prone to blood clots which doctors said were making their way to her lungs, and she was constantly in unbearable pain. So in one of the most critical moments of her life, she made the decision to have her leg amputated.
"I woke up crying," Wendy remembers, "I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake, it haunted me and I was miserable." She recalls feelings of terror and anxiety, having no one to talk to who understood or empathized. “I felt so different,” she says sadly, "I remember thinking, ‘I’m so young and ugly. No one is going to want me.’” She said up until then she thought amputees were older men, not females in their 20’s. Wendy’s mother stayed by her side through her whole ordeal but could not identify with her daughter’s trauma or situation. Her life sank to a point where she admits sadly, “If it weren’t for my kids, I would have taken my own life.” It was because of those very kids that she pushed the pain to the back of her mind and determined to keep on living.
In 2006 she went to a prosthetic facility which she describes as “very nice and friendly.” “They were great people,” Wendy admits, “But they could never make my leg correctly.” She would go in for visits and have her prosthetic adjusted or get a new one but it always drew blood within a week or 2. In fact, the artificial legs she was fitted with would further injure and damage the stump and she would have to have more of her leg cut off. “For 2 years nothing worked right.” Everyday she felt more and more like she had doomed herself to be miserable for the rest of her life.
Then one day she received a call from Holly at the Amputee and Prosthetic Center and what began was a change in Wendy’s attitude, outlook and indeed her life. “The moment I met Jody and Ben my outlook changed” Wendy remembers. Jody Wallace, a Peer visitor and Ben Falls the lead prosthetist at the Amputee and prosthetic Center, and both fellow amputees, presented a whole new perspective to Wendy. “Here was Jody, young, pretty and female…and an amputee! And she was just like everyone else.” Wendy is passionate as she remembers Ben encouraging her and relating his own story to hers. She laughs as she boasts that by her 2nd visit to Ben, he had provided her with a perfectly fitted, extremely comfortable prosthesis and she was walking around in the parking lot. Wendy remembers the day she went to her mailbox for the first time in 5 years. She was so ecstatic she got on the phone and called her mom, “Mom, I just walked out to the mailbox all by myself!” Wendy recollects, "I just had a melt down right there at the mailbox. I cried and cried. It meant everything to be able to do that."
Wendy Ledbetter says she couldn’t be happier. She is living proof that expertise and proper care make a world of difference. That’s what she found at the Amputee and Prosthetic Center. When asked what her experiences have taught her she sys, “Life after amputation can even be better than before. You appreciate more. You’re not different, just stronger.” She recalls being ashamed of her prosthetic at first, not wanting to wear shorts and always thinking that she was being looked at. “But Ben changed my mind”, she says gratefully, “He told me that after all that I’ve been through I should wear this leg like a badge of honor. I earned that!” And now she does. Her 13 year old daughter paints the toes on her prosthetic and Wendy says she loves wearing nice shoes, now more than ever. In 2007 she joined the Amputee and Prosthetic Center employees and amputees from all over Texas in a skydiving event. When asked if she would ever ride her motorcycle again she says emphatically, “If I can jump out of a plane with a parachute I can definitely ride a bike.”
