Curiosity Did Not Kill The Cat

I have never really been shy about being out in public being an amputee. While I get stares mostly from kids and glances mostly from adults in hopes that I did not see them glance and then quickly look away. I tell myself that people are just curious. Let’s face it, my appearance is a little different and when someone is different it naturally piques our curiosity. One thing I am not afraid of, and encourage is questions. It frustrates me when a kid is asking a question about my leg, and the parent tries to hush them up or tells them that it is rude. That’s when I pipe up and tell them that it is ok, and ask them what questions they have. Here are some of my favorite questions I have been asked over the few months since my amputation. I keep a notepad with me so I can write them down.

1. Did you fall out of an airplane?

2. Will your leg grow back like a lizard’s tail does?

3. Do you get as cold as you used to, now that you only have one leg?

4. Did the diabetes get you?

5. Where did you get your transformer leg from? I want one!

6. Are you part robot?

7. Do you swim in circles in the swimming pool?

8. Why did your leg go away? Did you do something bad?

9. Why do you look so funny?

10. How do you go to the bathroom?

My response when kids ask me what happened to my leg, I usually come back with “I did not eat my vegetables!” Their response is either laughter or a look of utter shock. Parents appreciate the humor, and they tend to loosen up a bit after they see that I am light-hearted about it all. I think this journey that I am on of being an amputee is teaching me how to adapt to different people’s reactions to me. I do not take it personally if someone takes a glance at me then walks away in a hurry, or just the opposite if someone just stares. I am learning to be confident with my new body image and just go with it. Some days are harder than others, but as the saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.”