“I feel I have the will to be happy,” says 27-year-old Arti Rangar from Dehradun, who is in Pune for a check-up of her prosthesis at the Artificial Limb Centre, a premier institution of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). What began as a case of food poisoning that turned fatal for her aunt, has been a long and difficult journey for Arti, who was a four-year-old then.

“Due to severe food poisoning, my aunt passed away but in my case it restricted blood flow and led to tissue death. So due to gangrene I had to undergo both forearm and below knee amputation,” Arti recalled.

Surgeons at ALC Pune were able to fit her with artificial prosthesis that helped Arti walk and move with greater confidence. She was even trained to use a bionic hand for her dominant right hand but Arti says she doesn’t feel the need for upper limb prosthesis. Using a pen with ease, she demonstrates how she can bring both elbows together to pick up a pen and sign her name. “See, I can write so well,” says the cheerful youngster, who is now preparing for a competitive examination.

With a BSc in Maths from Delhi, Arti is pursuing a masters’ course and is studying for the Staff Selection Commission. “My daughter has faced several hardships but now with the artificial prosthesis she is moving around confidently and even has plans to drive a car,” Arti’s mother Guddi Rangar said.

At another end of ALC that celebrated its 82nd Raising Day, marking 82 years of rehabilitating and empowering differently-abled veterans, service personnel and even civilians, Surg Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General, AFMS, interacted with 14-year-old Zubiya who was born with a congenital deformity that left her legs severely crooked.

Prosthetic surgeons explained that she was successfully operated upon and her legs were now expected to grow proportionately with her age. Zubiya’s mother Yasmin admitted that she feels immense relief seeing her daughter walk with the help of artificial legs. “It has been a year since the surgery and she needs crutches to support her while walking and we are very excited with this step by step progress,” she said. Zubiya, whose favourite subject is English and is a student of a Pune-based school, also smiled happily as she walked confidently with her artificial legs and crutches.

Brig C N Satish, Commandant of AlC, said that nearly 80,000 people including serving soldiers, families, veterans and even civilians have been rehabilitated at their centre. ALC was set up with the aim to meet the prosthetic and orthotic needs of disabled personnel of the armed forces. Armed with a humane and patient centric outlook the facility was extended to civilians as well. Trauma is one of the leading causes of disability, while many other injuries result from mine blasts and road traffic accidents.

Lt Col Parmeshwar Reddy, prosthetic surgeon, said that along with the ortho team they were engaged in the rehabilitative care of amputee patients. “Then whether it is from basic prosthesis for day to day activities to advanced ones, each patient receives care tailored to their needs,” he said.