Meet Nick Nelson
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams today picked up the amazing story--from local affiliate KARE-11--of Nick Nelson, a nine-year-old boy who requested that his leg be amputated.
Nelson was born with a rare inherited condition called Popliteal Pterygium Syndrome that caused a web of skin to connect the back of his leg to his heel. Because of that webbing, Nelson was not able to straighten his leg and was confined to a wheelchair.
Nick still races his friends around the track at school with a special wheelchair outfitted with handheld pedals and often "smokes them."
So he made a decision no young boy should ever face: He asked to have his leg amputated so that he could be fitted with a prosthesis.
"Sometimes you have to make hard choices in your life," Nick told KARE-11 reporter Joe Fryer. "And that's one of them."
NBC Nightly News isn't the end of the national exposure for this inspiring local story--tomorrow morning, Nick will appear on the Today show.
Watch Video of Nick on NBC Nightly News and to read more of his amazing story.
More about the advances in prosthesis design.
The next generation of prosthetic limbs will incorporate technology that provides a more natural gait and greater comfort and efficiency, and may restore certain sensory functions.
Prosthesis.com
Advances In Prosthesis Design For Paralyzed
