Patient Story | Arlo

Jul 24, 2026

Patient Story | Arlo

Born with fibular hemimelia, Arlo began receiving care at Shriners Children's Lexington when he was just 7 years old. After undergoing a Boyd amputation with Vishwas Talwalkar, M.D., at 9 months old, he received his first prosthetic leg three months later and began walking around his first birthday. Now 7, Arlo is on his sixth prosthetic leg and rarely slows down. He loves rock climbing, golf, arts and crafts, and spending time with friends and family. With support from his orthopedic and prosthetic care teams, Arlo has grown into a confident Shriners Children's Lexington Patient Ambassador who enjoys sharing his journey and encouraging other families. 📖 Read Arlo's story: https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/news-and-media/patient-stories/2026/06/arlo-fibular-hemimelia-care 📹 Watch our DRTV Commercial featuring Arlo: https://youtu.be/vXZ_t3FlizE?si=hR5cUDRH3nYulKAs ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼ ✨ the most AMAZING CARE anywhere ✨ Shriners Children's Lexington is changing lives every day by providing innovative pediatric specialty care, conducting research to improve the quality of life and care, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. We provide patient-centered care in several areas. All care and services are provided regardless of the families' ability to pay or insurance status. Shriners Children's Lexington is part of the greater Shriners Children's network. Shriners Children's is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, including the full range of care available, please visit shrinerschildrens.org. 🔗 Helpful Links🔗 📝 Request an appointment: https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/request-an-appointment 🏥 Explore our services: https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/lexington/our-care?listPage=1 💝 Make a donation: https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/locations/lexington/about-us/ways-to-give 👍 Follow us on social 👍 Facebook: /shrinerslexington Instagram: @shrinerslexington LinkedIn: Shriners Children's Lexington Twitter: @ShrinersLex

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Emily: Arlo was born in 2018. He was born with three toes, and he had a club foot.

[Emily & Arlo; Patient, Shriners Children's Lexington] Unfortunately, we were from a very small town in a small hospital and they had no idea what was going on. Um, they didn't catch it during any of our ultrasounds, and they told us to Google it.

We learned that he was missing his fibula. So, fibular hemimelia was the diagnosis. We were given the option of amputation of lengthening.

We went all over the country. We went to Florida. We went to St. Louis, Chicago, several hospitals to get opinions and someone on a whim said, "Have you been to Shriner's Lexington?" And we were like, "Well, that's super close." And I would say within minutes, we knew this is where we wanted to be.

It was just so enlightening, so incredible. The, you know, the way they treated us, we felt so comfortable.

They explained his condition in ways we hadn't been explained thus far. They gave us the option of an amputation as well that we weren't familiar with. It was a style called a boy amputation, which allowed us to retain his heel and really gave us hope.

The biggest thing they said to us they being Dr. Tallwalker, was picture him as an adult male. You know this is this type of amputation is going to really allow him to function properly, have a full, you know, ability to do everything.

Um, and so that really sold us. Dr. Tall Walker was incredible. They treat us like family, you know. It's incredible.

And not just that, but their expertise in the area of orthopedics was unlike any other place. Like I mentioned, we went to over six hospitals. When we came here, we learned so much, so much more about his condition and his path forward, what his future would look like.

You know, we have a full plan ahead of us.

And ultimately, you know, Shriners can put every concern you have at ease.

He's on his sixth leg now, and he's 7 years old, so about a leg a year. Each design gets cooler and cooler. Each ankle gets more advanced, and we are really looking forward to like the future of prosthetics and the ability he'll have with his ankles, and we know that at Shriners, we're in the right place for that.

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