MEDFORD, Ore. – A Medford girl is learning to walk again after she was fitted with a prosthetic leg
At first glance, Elaine Johnson is a typical nine-year-old. She loves to laugh and smile and has plans to visit Paris when she grows up.
“I watched a lot of movies of the Eiffel Tower and it looks so pretty!”
But Elaine is also battling an extremely rare condition. at eighteen months she was diagnosed with Klippel Trenaunay syndrome. Only one in 100,000 people live with it. The condition causes clotting in her blood and can result in abnormal growth of blood vessels in her limbs. Her first surgery was at the age of three, ultimately, doctors had to amputate her left leg.
“I was just scared I would wake up in the middle of the surgery,” Elaine said.
“We did family counseling and met other kids that were amputees, and made a family decision about it,” Elaine’s mom, Justine Yeoman said.
The surgery was a success, but the recovery hasn’t been easy.
“Sometimes when I hurt and I have my family around me playing with me, I don’t even realize it,” Elaine said.
It’s taken two years, but this year she finally got a prosthetic leg. Now she’s enjoying life, learning once more how to skip and hopefully someday run, but her battle is far from over. Elaine’s mom, Justine says this is a progressive disorder and doctors say Elaine may not make it past her teens.
“Every case is different and every case could be anywhere from mild to severe,” Justine said.
Still, to see her child happy and enjoying life, helps their whole family take another step each day.
“Cause she’s worth everything, it’s not hard to take it day by day,” Justine said.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.