Image: Jack Haijes
Image: Photo Haijes
24-year-old Francisco Kimila took his first steps in the Kirchdorf Clinic. “I feel like a new person. Now I have two legs,” said Kimila, who only goes by “Biko.” He can now walk with the help of a prosthesis. “It was an extremely emotional moment for all of us when Biko stood up for the first time,” says senior physician Thomas Pauzenberger.
Image: Photo Haijes
The patient, who comes from the East African country of Tanzania, was previously only able to move around by hopping. He was born with limb deformities and only has one healthy leg. An Upper Austrian aid initiative, in which the parish and Kirchdorf Clinic as well as the health holding company and the state are involved, made it possible for the young man to have a special prosthesis.
It is a custom-made product: “Normally we have a leg stump to which we adapt the prosthesis,” says orthopedic technician Daniel Weixelbaumer. In the case of “Biko,” however, the malformed leg had to fit in. “In addition, the prosthesis has to withstand higher stress in his home country, such as dust and heat.”
The 24-year-old will stay in Upper Austria for a total of six months. He makes his first attempts to walk with a prosthesis with a stiffened knee joint. As soon as he has enough security and routine, Kimila will get one with a movable knee joint. Then he can also bend his knee.
Passionate athlete
The young African never let his handicap discourage him. He even plays football. When he returns to Tanzania in a few months, he already has plans: “The first thing I want to do is try to see if I can play football with two legs,” he told the hospital staff. He also dreams of a career as a sports journalist. His yellow and black prosthetic leg is also intended to express his enthusiasm for football: they are the colors of the Tanzanian national football team.
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