ROGERS -- University of Arkansas cheerleader Patience Beard spread cheer in a different way Friday when she visited a young girl preparing to get her leg amputated this summer.
Beard, an amputee herself, spent the lunch hour at Westside Elementary School with first-grader Molly Cover. It was an exciting time for Molly, who drew inspiration from Beard after watching a video about her at school.
Limb loss statistics
• There are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in the United States.
• Among those living with limb loss, the main causes are vascular disease (54 percent) — including diabetes and peripheral arterial disease — trauma (45 percent) and cancer (less than 2 percent).
• About 185,000 amputations occur in the U.S. each year.
• In 2009, hospital costs associated with amputation totaled more than $8.3 billion.
Source: www.Amputee-Coaliti…
"She was probably up at 5:30 this morning, just ready for this," said Connie Cover, Molly's mother.
Molly, 6, was born with neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue. One tumor grew on Molly's tibia, causing her leg to break, Cover said.
Molly had two surgeries before she was 5 years old to try to correct the damage, Cover said. She's been in a cast or brace most of her life. Her left shoe is lifted to compensate for the lack of growth in her left leg compared to the right one.
It was Molly who decided to go ahead with the amputation, which will take place some time this summer at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Cover said.
Beard, 21, of Texarkana, Texas, is a junior and communications major at the university. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, a birth defect that causes a deformed hip and a shortened leg. Her parents decided to have part of her left leg amputated when she was 9 months old.
A lost limb hardly slowed her down, however. She began gymnastics at a young age and started cheerleading in seventh grade. Eventually she earned a spot on the Razorbacks' cheer squad.
Westside staff members, seeing what an inspiration Beard was to Molly, decided they'd like to arrange a meeting between the two.
"(Beard) has become a hero to Molly," said Susan Bush, a Westside literacy facilitator. "And now Molly wants to be a cheerleader."
Beard arrived at Westside on Friday wearing a red Razorbacks prosthesis. Molly wore a Razorbacks cheerleading outfit and a red and white ribbon in her hair.
They talked for about an hour in Margaret Lamp's classroom and over lunch in the cafeteria. Beard told Molly about the other prostheses she owns, including one that's zebra-colored and one that matches her skin tone.
Molly, who admitted to being a little shy around Beard, smiled and answered Beard's questions. She also did a quick cheer for Beard.
"I'm just blown away by your courage," Beard told Molly. "I'm excited for you."
Beard said she admires Molly for making the amputation decision for herself.
"I can't imagine that, knowing everything was about to change in my life," Beard said.
Beard has met other young amputees, but called her meeting with Molly the "most impactful" for her. She said she intends to stay in touch with Molly.
Molly, when asked what advice she would give to another person going through her situation, said, "Do not be scared. Be brave." She even suggested she was prepared to go through "two dozen" surgeries like the one she's facing.
Molly hopes to gain the same kind of mobility Beard enjoys when she receives her prosthetic leg. As it is, Molly experiences some pain in her leg; she can jump and skip but can't run well.
Lamp, Molly's teacher, described Molly as a happy girl.
"She loves to learn," Lamp said. "She's friendly to everyone. She's definitely excited about what this surgery will do for her ability to play with the other kids. She definitely does not let her condition hold her back whatsoever."
NW News on 05/02/2015