Because Angelina was so active, the foot on her prosthetic leg would often break. The prosthetics and orthotics team at Shriners Children’s St. Louis was in constant communication to make sure she had a functional leg.
It was the commitment of her prosthetist, Marvin Hohbein, and the ingenuity that her father modeled in creating homemade adaptable tools for her to play sports and do activities, that led to her earning a biomedical engineering degree from the University of Iowa.
While Angelina knows she was blessed with a great support system, she quickly recognized a need for more amputees to be involved in the creation and building of the devices that help the amputee community.
Degree in hand, Angelina interned alongside Marvin in the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) department, and eventually became a prosthetic technician in Chicago.
Eventually, life took her away from prosthetics as a means of employment. Now 31, Angelina works in electrophysiology in Colorado.
However, in her spare time, she dedicates her energy to creating social media content that empowers other amputees. She wants the amputee community to know that life after amputation might not be easy, but there is a way for each of them. She also wants those with limbs to recognize a prosthetic leg helps her function just like a pair of glasses might help them with their vision.
“When you look at my social media account, I hope you see yourself and what you’re capable of. Cross your own finish line, whatever that looks like to you,” Angelina explained.
Make your own way. Find your own successes.
“You don’t need to sit on the couch all day and make excuses. But you also don’t have to be a Paralympian,” she said.
Angelina’s message was recently shared by Amplitude Magazine, a publication for amputees and families of amputees.
