Elizabeth's Prosthetic Leg!
Donation protected
Grand Rapids Paralympic Athlete, Elizabeth Stone, Needs New Prosthetic
Her Story
Grand rapids resident Elizabeth Stone began swim lessons as a 4-year girl and joined a competitive swim team at age 11. She excelled at the backstroke and butterfly. She now has both silver and bronze medals—from the Paralympics.
Elizabeth was born in Kutaisi, Georgia, part of the former Soviet Union, and placed in an orphanage. Born with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), her right leg doesn’t have a femur and her knee and hip joints are fused together. At birth, her right foot was where you would’ve expected her knee to be.
After four years in the orphanage, a woman from Grand Rapids adopted Elizabeth. When they returned to the States she enrolled Elizabeth in swim lessons almost immediately. They also began exploring medical procedures that could help Elizabeth and, when she was 6 years old, she had a dramatic surgery. “For better function and mobility we decided to have my foot removed. It’s fairly common for people with PFFD,” explains Elizabeth. “It was a smart decision.”
Having her foot removed meant that Elizabeth could wear prosthetics more easily. “They fit better and it was easier to function, she says. With her new prosthetic leg, she learned to ride a bicycle, rollerblade, and more.
Athletic Pursuits
Elizabeth continued to swim (she swims without a prosthetic) but she also enjoyed playing basketball. Wearing her regular prosthetic, she competed with able-bodied players until middle school. “I didn’t have a prosthetic running leg, so I wasn’t agile or fast,” says Elizabeth. “My mom knew about the Grand Rapids Pacers, so I started playing wheelchair basketball. It took me awhile to be able to shoot a hoop from a wheelchair, but I figured it out and played wheelchair basketball through high school.”
Her senior year at Grand Rapids Christian High School (2009), someone donated a running foot to Elizabeth. She didn’t hesitate to put it to good use. That spring, she participated in track and field using her new prosthetic and, in the spring, she ran 25K in the River Bank Run.
Despite trying other sports, Elizabeth continued to be a dedicated swimmer. She saw her times begin to be ranked nationally, then internationally, and in 2004 she attended her first Paralympic Games in Athens. As an 8th grader, she placed fifth in the finals of the 100m backstroke. Four years later, she returned to Beijing and won a silver medal for the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Paralympic Games. The year after she graduated from high school, Elizabeth moved to Colorado Springs to live and train at the Olympic Training center for two years before heading to the 2012 Paralympics in London. There, she won two bronze medals, one each for the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.
What’s Next?
Now retired from competitive swimming Elizabeth is pursuing other athletic endeavors. A dedicated, driven, lifelong athlete, she longs to compete as a runner. This year, she ran the River Bank’s 25K and her next goal is to run a marathon. Eventually, inspired by Sarah Reinertsen, the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Elizabeth’s ultimate goal is to be an Ironman. “I’m very goal-oriented and I like to push myself to see what I can do physically and mentally, to see what I’m capable of,” she explains. “I really want to train again and take things seriously.”
To do so, she needs a new running prosthetic.
How You Can Help
Elizabeth has outgrown the running leg she received in high school, so she currently pieces together a running leg using parts from different, older legs. She uses the original socket but because it’s old and worn, and she’s grown in the past 12 years, it doesn’t fit properly. The prosthetic is extremely uncomfortable and causes sores where it attaches to her knee.
“Ideally, I’d like to get a new running flex foot with a knee,” she says. She’d also like to have a socket that fits properly. “That would allow me to be able to train properly. If I workout using the socket I have now, I get sores and can’t walk on my prosthetic leg for days. A new leg will allow me to get in shape, do races throughout the year, do marathons and work towards my goals.” If she can also procure a leg attachment for her bike, she’d love to participate in triathlons, as well.
She hopes to run the Grand Rapids marathon this year or next, and then begin race outside of Grand Rapids. “I love the feeling of competing with other runners. People always congratulate me as I’m doing races and I just think, ‘I’m dying here right along with you,’” she laughs. “But people also tell me they never knew you could do long races with a prosthetic leg. With each race I run, I hope to change people’s perceptions of what people with disabilities can do.”
Written by Kirsetin Morello
Her Story
Grand rapids resident Elizabeth Stone began swim lessons as a 4-year girl and joined a competitive swim team at age 11. She excelled at the backstroke and butterfly. She now has both silver and bronze medals—from the Paralympics.
Elizabeth was born in Kutaisi, Georgia, part of the former Soviet Union, and placed in an orphanage. Born with proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), her right leg doesn’t have a femur and her knee and hip joints are fused together. At birth, her right foot was where you would’ve expected her knee to be.
After four years in the orphanage, a woman from Grand Rapids adopted Elizabeth. When they returned to the States she enrolled Elizabeth in swim lessons almost immediately. They also began exploring medical procedures that could help Elizabeth and, when she was 6 years old, she had a dramatic surgery. “For better function and mobility we decided to have my foot removed. It’s fairly common for people with PFFD,” explains Elizabeth. “It was a smart decision.”
Having her foot removed meant that Elizabeth could wear prosthetics more easily. “They fit better and it was easier to function, she says. With her new prosthetic leg, she learned to ride a bicycle, rollerblade, and more.
Athletic Pursuits
Elizabeth continued to swim (she swims without a prosthetic) but she also enjoyed playing basketball. Wearing her regular prosthetic, she competed with able-bodied players until middle school. “I didn’t have a prosthetic running leg, so I wasn’t agile or fast,” says Elizabeth. “My mom knew about the Grand Rapids Pacers, so I started playing wheelchair basketball. It took me awhile to be able to shoot a hoop from a wheelchair, but I figured it out and played wheelchair basketball through high school.”
Her senior year at Grand Rapids Christian High School (2009), someone donated a running foot to Elizabeth. She didn’t hesitate to put it to good use. That spring, she participated in track and field using her new prosthetic and, in the spring, she ran 25K in the River Bank Run.
Despite trying other sports, Elizabeth continued to be a dedicated swimmer. She saw her times begin to be ranked nationally, then internationally, and in 2004 she attended her first Paralympic Games in Athens. As an 8th grader, she placed fifth in the finals of the 100m backstroke. Four years later, she returned to Beijing and won a silver medal for the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Paralympic Games. The year after she graduated from high school, Elizabeth moved to Colorado Springs to live and train at the Olympic Training center for two years before heading to the 2012 Paralympics in London. There, she won two bronze medals, one each for the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.
What’s Next?
Now retired from competitive swimming Elizabeth is pursuing other athletic endeavors. A dedicated, driven, lifelong athlete, she longs to compete as a runner. This year, she ran the River Bank’s 25K and her next goal is to run a marathon. Eventually, inspired by Sarah Reinertsen, the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Elizabeth’s ultimate goal is to be an Ironman. “I’m very goal-oriented and I like to push myself to see what I can do physically and mentally, to see what I’m capable of,” she explains. “I really want to train again and take things seriously.”
To do so, she needs a new running prosthetic.
How You Can Help
Elizabeth has outgrown the running leg she received in high school, so she currently pieces together a running leg using parts from different, older legs. She uses the original socket but because it’s old and worn, and she’s grown in the past 12 years, it doesn’t fit properly. The prosthetic is extremely uncomfortable and causes sores where it attaches to her knee.
“Ideally, I’d like to get a new running flex foot with a knee,” she says. She’d also like to have a socket that fits properly. “That would allow me to be able to train properly. If I workout using the socket I have now, I get sores and can’t walk on my prosthetic leg for days. A new leg will allow me to get in shape, do races throughout the year, do marathons and work towards my goals.” If she can also procure a leg attachment for her bike, she’d love to participate in triathlons, as well.
She hopes to run the Grand Rapids marathon this year or next, and then begin race outside of Grand Rapids. “I love the feeling of competing with other runners. People always congratulate me as I’m doing races and I just think, ‘I’m dying here right along with you,’” she laughs. “But people also tell me they never knew you could do long races with a prosthetic leg. With each race I run, I hope to change people’s perceptions of what people with disabilities can do.”
Written by Kirsetin Morello
Organizer and beneficiary
Shandy Atwood Longcore
Organizer
Rockford, MI
Elizabeth Stone
Beneficiary
