This disabled young man born in the 1990s has already started running, and when people are still asking if they can walk with prosthetics, disabled | Oso | prosthetics
"While many people are curious about whether wearing prosthetics can lead to normal walking, Ossur has already made us run and even run." At the 2023 Smart Health City and Social Public Health Management Seminar held by the Shanghai Europe and America Alumni Association this afternoon, Ossur's Chinese brand ambassador, Hu Yutao, shared his story with prosthetics under the theme of "Technology Restarts Life".
If he had not encountered that accident, the life of Hu Yutao, a young man from Gansu born in the 1990s, may have been smooth sailing. He has excelled in academic performance since childhood and loves sports. However, while studying architecture in the United States, he was diagnosed with congenital arteriovenous fistula due to an accident. I have undergone 6 interventional surgeries while traveling back and forth between China and the United States, but the treatment has been unsuccessful. At the age of 24, doctors had to saw off Hu Yutao's calf.
"I think the quality and length of life are more important than the former," Hu Yutao said. After amputation, he once suffered from phantom limb pain, but fortunately, he has now overcome the most difficult days and has the ability to do more important things.
After putting on Oso's prosthetic limb, Hu Yutao began regular rehabilitation and strength training. Last year, he completed the challenge of a half marathon, participated in the Spartan 10 kilometer off-road race, and also participated in the disabled cycling event at the National Games.
Is the athletic ability of people with disabilities necessarily inferior to that of able-bodied individuals? Actually, it's not the case. Hu Yutao said that some disabled athletes have set world records that are even more impressive than normal people. For example, Oso has developed a sports prosthetic specifically designed for long jump, which helped a German disabled athlete break the world record of 8.48 meters.
In addition to training and competitions, Hu Yutao also started self media and shared his life on social media platforms. "Why do you have to expose the prosthetic limb? Are you selling it badly?" "The other one looks good if it's also broken."... When the cyberbullying hit, he didn't back down because more and more people were drawing strength from his story. For example, a netizen left him a message saying, "My dad had an accident last September and also had an amputation. At that time, I showed him videos of you running, hiking, and exercising, and he gradually gained confidence... Although I still feel a bit sad every time I see him take off his prosthetic, he can still drive, go to the mountains, grow vegetables, and do what he wants to do. This is already very lucky."
"The purpose of doing self media is to help these people." Hu Yutao now also designs cool and glowing shells for prosthetics. "Actually, people with disabilities don't necessarily live with tragic colors, we can also be cool."
Ultimately, what attitude should we adopt towards people with disabilities? Years ago, Hu Yutao saw a disabled person in a wheelchair attempting to open a door while abroad. Many people were queuing up for him, but no one came forward to give him a hand. "Why didn't anyone help?" He was puzzled at the time.
Later, he understood, "Even people with disabilities are ordinary people. If we don't actively seek help, please let us do it ourselves. Not treating them special may be the greatest respect."
