As if the teenage years aren’t tricky enough, Dana Miller developed synovial cell sarcoma at age 16. A rare and aggressive type of cancer, the disease attacked the cells surrounding her right knee. As a result, almost forty years ago, doctors amputated Dana’s leg above her knee.
“Looking back now, I wonder how I navigated through all that,” says Dana.
During her teen years, Dana suffered knee problems. Although doctors performed several arthroscopic surgeries, they remained perplexed as to why her “knee didn’t work right.” They prescribed a weight-lifting program to strengthen her leg and knee muscles. “I loved hanging out at the gym with all the football players,” laughs Dana.
Finally, surgery following a car accident led doctors to discover a tumor—and the cancer—in Dana’s knee. Treatment options were not easy ones. Doctors could amputate Dana’s leg above the knee. Or they could remove her knee and insert a steel rod in her leg, from hip to ankle, thus creating a “stiff leg.”
Dana, holding her leg in a “stiff” position, experimented with showering, using the restroom, and sitting in chairs with an immovable leg. “I couldn’t do anything,” she says, “and I decided that’s not how I wanted to live.” It made the heart-wrenching decision to amputate easier for her.
Nine weeks post-surgery, hobbling on crutches and bald from the brutal chemotherapy, Dana returned to high school. Her mom, a church secretary, and dad, a shift mechanic at the local paper mill, were “strong and united and confident that, with God’s help, our family would come through this situation.”
Rather than shelter her, Dana’s family encouraged her. Her parents and younger sister trusted Dana to handle the hand she was dealt. When Dana wanted to feel sorry for herself, her parents agreed she should—but only for a short while. Then, get back to the business of living. “The biggest gift they gave me,” says Dana, “was to point me toward God.”
After amputation, the leg swelled, muscles shrank, and the limb gradually shifted into its eventual shape. As her limb changed, Dana went through a series of artificial legs. With a knee unit functioning as a hinge, walking proved uncomfortable, and her gait looked clunky and awkward.
Since Dana’s amputation in 1985, prosthetics and technology have made significant advances. “Nowadays, when I’m out and about, most people might think I’ve hurt my foot,” says Dana. She wears her prosthetic—comfortably—about twelve hours a day and walks with only a slight limp.
A socket connects tightly with the top portion of her limb. A microprocessor resides in the knee unit and helps smooth out her walk, reduces limb wiggling, and gives Dana more control of her steps. A flexible ankle unit provides easier maneuvering on grass and uneven terrain. Suction holds it all together.
“My current leg is awesome,” says Dana.
When she visits the leg doctor, he connects the software in her leg to a computer. As Dana walks around, the doctor observes and adjusts as needed. The suction must be refitted if she loses or gains weight or muscle. Otherwise, Dana recharges her microprocessor every night, maintains the corresponding app, and she’s good to go for the next 3000 miles or 7-8 years.
“Many devices do not adjust to varying shoe heels, and amputees’ options were limited to sneaker height for a long while,” says Dana. With Dana’s foot and ankle prosthetic combination, she can wear what she wants. Including her first pair of boots for this winter!
Dana owns one artificial leg—$90K if insurance didn’t cover it—and she cannot run on it. The devices are built for running OR walking, and athletes like Oscar Pistorius most likely have multiples. If a leg requires maintenance, Dana requests a loaner.
When she was pregnant with her daughter, Dana struggled. She knew she would not be able to run with her child. She wouldn’t trot alongside a wobbling bicycle or play chase around the playground or challenge her to a foot race. “As it turned out, there were so many things I could do with her,” says Dana.
She prayed her child would have a softer heart for people with hardships because of what she would experience at home. Dana’s goal was to instill in her daughter—and now her precious little granddaughter, Vera–that life is about doing hard things. “And, despite what we think, we can do hard things,” she says.
If you’d like, follow Dana on Instagram.