Girl Born Without Left Leg Outruns Misfortune
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One young dancer caught the audience's attention in a Gillette production of ‘The Sleeping Beauty.’ The eight-year-old dancer, Selah Brunner, wore a colorful prosthetic leg.
At 18 months old, Selah was adopted from Nanchang, China, where she was born without her left leg. Since then, she has effortlessly become a cherished member of both her family and the Gillette community.
In an interview with Gillette News Record, Selah’s father, Paul Brunner, shared that she doesn’t consider her missing leg a handicap. She easily makes friends and touches other people’s lives by being herself.
Besides dancing, Selah also participates in gymnastics and runs track. Like any kid her age, she plays at the park and does things she loves with friends and family. But unlike the other kids, Selah goes to physical therapy appointments every week and keeps regular appointments with her prosthetist.
Since she began walking, Selah has worked with Brodie Rice, a certified prosthetist-orthotist at Pivot Prosthetics and Orthotics. In an interview with Gillette News Record, Rice shared that Selah faces significant difficulties compared to someone with more residual limb.
However, Rice pointed out that what sets her apart from others with the same condition is her confidence. Selah isn’t afraid to fall or try different things, so she has continually improved at using her prosthetic leg.
Selah's only limitations are her size and age. Rice explains that it is tough to control a prosthesis with a functional knee joint. But Selah manages to overcome the challenges with determination and the help of her support system, allowing her to continue to improve with a prosthetic leg that is often challenging to control, even for adults.
While it may seem that Selah’s story is only filled with victory and perseverance, there have also been struggles, particularly with running.
According to her father, Selah is used to harnessing perseverance to keep up with the other kids, but running is different. He sees that she struggles to understand why she can’t keep up with them.
The good news is that Selah will get better at running as she grows older and taller. By then, she can fit into more adult components, allowing her to do more with her leg. According to Selah’s physical therapist, Lisa Haugen, there are not many things available for a pediatric leg compared to an adult leg.
The future looks bright for Selah thanks to her determination and tenacity.
Rice is excited for the future. By then, Selah will be able to use more prosthetic technology. “She’s going to not really have any limitations,” Rice said.
