Nguyen Thi Men

Moving around the clinic with her newly-fitted lightweight prosthetic leg, Men declared that she could truly walk, comfortably and unassisted, for the first time in 16 years.

“I was in the hospital for a long period of time, for several years,” she said. She then received a free prosthesis from the Red Cross, but she did not have enough muscle strength to lift the device and move properly. Getting a more advanced prosthesis was out of the question due to her financial constraints, so Men went about without one.

Through her friends in the amputee community, Men learned about Penta and reached out to our team. We referred her to one of our partner clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, where she was fitted with a below-the-knee set that we had provided to them. Like many of the amputees we work with, Men is amazed at the lightness and sturdiness of the titanium and carbon fiber parts compared to her old wooden leg. She can now walk around more easily and comfortably, and she says that the device has raised her quality of life both at work and at home. As Men and her husband are street vendors, mobility is key to their profession. Her new prosthetic device has allowed her to navigate the streets on which she works and the bustling markets in which she shops with renewed ease.