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Charley Streather
Rasika's Bridge to Dorset
Legless Dick rides again, albeit slowly, on a Dorset Orthopaedic pony.
08/4/09
Over fifty years ago, when I was a steeplechase jockey, I
was given a leg-up onto my horse in the paddock before every
race. Now that I am long past my eighty-eighth birthday, I
no longer ride horses – nor have I done so for over twenty
years. However, these days, I again need a little help in the
leg-up department.
Nearly two years ago I damaged my right foot
and, even though it was only a minor injury, it would not heal
due to my poor circulation. As a result I lost my foot, together
with the lower half of my shin. I looked upon the loss as just
another challenge in a life-time full of them, and I set about
spending the rest of my days in a manner that did not involve
sitting forever in a wheelchair until the Lord decided that
my time was up.
The Douglas Bader Rehabilitation Centre at Queen
Mary’s
Hospital in Roehampton was my first stop, where parallel bars
and a strange inflatable false leg were my introductions to
walking again. It is often said that teaching old dogs new
tricks is impossible. Well, it’s not. But, I tell you,
it’s not easy, and it requires a lot of damn hard work.
The
final hurdle, but far from the final step, was to have a new
permanent prosthetic leg fitted by Bob Watts and the team at
Dorset Orthopaedic. Their motto is ‘Life Without
Limits’ and Bob told me I should be able to dance on
my new leg. However, I think that, at my age, there probably
are some limits, especially as I couldn’t dance before
I lost my leg, hence I doubt I would have be able to do so
after, even with the fancy new foot that Bob had given me.
And
so it remains, nearly a year later. I still can’t
dance, but I can walk, and I do so every day. And every time
I walk, I silently thank Bob and the team in Ringwood for their
skill, their care, their friendship and, above all, for their
leg. Without it I would be stuck in that wheelchair, waiting
for God, and hoping he’d be quick about it. But I’m
not. In fact, I’m enjoying my life to the full, and I
just might look up dance classes in the Yellow Pages.
Heigh Ho!
Dick Francis
