Woman who had leg amputated as toddler seeks fellow amputee to share pairs of shoes

Emma Henson had her leg amputated at the age of one because of a rare condition that made her right leg swell to twice the size of her left leg

A Peterborough woman with one foot is searching for a fellow amputee to share shoes with – so two bin bags full of unwanted right shoes don’t go to waste. Emma Henson, 20, has a rare condition called Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS).

When she was born, her right leg had swelled to double the size of her left one. When Emma turned one, her parents made the decision to have the leg amputated, as she would never be able to walk on it.

Her leg causes her too much pain to wear a prosthetic, so Emma only ever needs to wear one shoe as she uses crutches or a wheelchair to get around. She said that throughout her life, she has struggled to find companies that will sell her a single shoe, leaving her feeling as though she is not accepted.

She is now searching for a left foot amputee, who is a size six shoe, with whom she can share pairs of shoes. Emma, who originally shared her story with Talk To The Press, said: “My leg is constantly swelling and getting infected, so wearing a prosthetic is so painful and makes me bleed.

“I’ve got a whole bin bag, if not two at home, full of right foot shoes. I would love to find a left leg amputee who is also a UK size six so that we could share shoes.

“I’ve tried to give my odd shoes to charities, to help other amputees, but nowhere will accept them. It makes me feel not accepted in the world. I was born like this, I didn’t choose it.”

KTS is a rare congenital condition with symptoms including port-wine stain birthmarks, varicose veins, and limb overgrowth. When she was one, doctors told her parents that they could either choose to have the leg amputated from the knee down, or that she would be in a wheelchair forever.

She said she has emailed countless shoe companies but is always told that she will have to just buy a pair of shoes. She added that she doesn’t think it’s fair that she has to fork out for two shoes, when one will just end up in the back of her wardrobe.

Emma said: “A pair of shoes sometimes costs £150, and I can’t afford that if one of them is just going to sit in the wardrobe. I think companies should give you the option of just buying one shoe, and paying half price for it.

“It would make companies look good, and make everyone feel included. There’s probably a lot of people out there who are having the same issue as me, and it’s so unfair that one shoe just goes to waste.”

She feels that there must be many people like her in the same predicament, so is searching for someone, not only to share shoes with, but also to relate to.

Emma said: “One of my goals is to find someone out there who is like me to talk to about our similarities and help make each other feel better about ourselves.”