In Madagascar, Lalao and Jean-Louis, have been fitted with a reconditioned prosthesis

Lalao and Jean-Louis have both lost a leg, she due to an illness, he in a road accident. For years, their lives revolved around dealing with pain, difficulties getting around and sometimes even social exclusion. Thanks to the prosthetic devices they received at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Appareillage de Madagascar (CHUAM), one of HI’s partners, they have regained their independence. They talked to us about their experiences, the obstacles they have overcome and their hopes for the future.

A life turned upside down overnight

Jean-Louis, 53, was a young man of 17 when a bus with faulty brakes turned his life upside down. He was walking by a service station when the bus ran into him, throwing him to the ground and leaving him seriously injured. Several people were killed in the accident; Jean-Louis lost his leg.

Lalao, 46, told a different but equally distressing story. The loss of her leg was gradual, marked by years of pain. In 2016, when it became unbearable, she went to see a number of doctors none of whom could say what was wrong with her, and underwent treatments that had no effect.

As the months went by, her condition deteriorated. Her leg became deformed, eaten away by an unknown disease, and every movement was torture. Eventually, she found herself confined to bed, unable to move. But beyond the physical suffering, it was the isolation that took the greatest toll. The condition of her leg drove some people away, and even her closest friends and family were reluctant to come and see her, afraid to acknowledge what has happening. One day, at the end of her tether, she asked to be taken to hospital. When she was told that amputation was the only solution, she agreed, determined to put an end to the suffering that had plagued her for so long.

Jean-Louis and Lalao have had different experiences, but they now share one: that of living with a disability that turned their daily lives upside down.

Starting afresh after an amputation

After losing a leg, Jean-Louis and Lalao had to adapt to a new existence, marked by physical, psychological and social challenges.

At just 17, Jean-Louis describes his amputation as a huge shock. He was living with his older sister at the time, having already lost both his parents, and they found it difficult to cover the costs of his stay in hospital, despite the bus owner's insurance. Barely recovered from his amputation, and with excessively high health costs to pay, he went back to work as a service station attendant.

Lalao experienced this transition differently. After her operation, she felt immediate relief, no longer having to endure the pain that had paralysed her for years. But afterwards, she found using crutches very tiring and suffered from pain in her arms and shoulders. While the amputation brought her physical relief, the way people looked at her was hard to bear.

“I'm sad when I think back to my life before, when I had two arms and two legs, just like everyone else,” she says.

A prosthesis to regain independence

Being fitted with a prosthesis is a decisive step in the rehabilitation process, but the first few days can be trying. Getting used to the device takes time, patience and a lot of effort. Walking, standing, climbing stairs... these are all things that used to come naturally, but now have to be learnt. For Lalao and Jean-Louis, the early days were marked by difficulties, but also by the desire to regain their independence.  Lalao remembers that at the beginning, when she was doing exercises to learn to go up and down stairs, she was a bit scared. It took a few weeks, and the exercises were intense. Since then, she has had several prostheses

For Jean-Louis, the adaptation process was also gradual. He remembers his first prosthesis, which was made of metal. It was strong and resistant, but extremely heavy and every movement required considerable effort. In 2016, he received his first plastic prosthesis, which was lighter and more manoeuvrable, but the switch wasn’t easy, as balance and movements were different. ‘It was like having to learn to walk all over again,’ he told us. But with time and practice, he was able to adapt, gaining in comfort and freedom.

In 2024, thanks to the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'appareillage de Madagascar (CHUAM), one of HI's partners, they both received their a new prosthesis as part of the Liimba project. They remember their treatment at the CHUAM as a positive experience: Lalao remembers with emotion the warm welcome she received from the nursing staff:

‘Everyone made sure I had everything I needed,’ she says.

As for Jean-Louis, he is grateful to have been able to benefit from an adapted prosthesis so quickly. He encourages all the amputees he meets to start the process of obtaining a prosthesis at the CHUAM.

“‘Just four days after the cast was taken, I already had it!”

Looking to the future

Today, Jean-Louis and Lalao lead an active life, happy with their new prosthesis from the CHUAM.
Jean-Louis still works at the service station, where he helps to find customers for the bush taxis. It's a very tiring job, but one that enables him to provide for his family. He lives with his wife and their four children and, even if the end of the month can be difficult, his philosophy is simple:

“Every day, I do what I can to cope with life. I prefer not to waste time dreaming big. What counts is having enough to feed my family.”

Lalao works in a laundry, although she hopes one day to be able to do something different. The physical side of the job is getting harder as she gets older, especially when she has to carry heavy loads. But she perseveres so that her teenage son can continue his studies, and so that she can buy the medicines needed by her mother who suffers from cardiac and respiratory problems.

Their professional lives apart, they both appreciate the simple fact of being able to move around without pain, go out and visit their loved ones. They know that their disability is part of who they are, but they refuse to let it define them.