Hope Bevilhymer was born with bilateral clubfeet. By age 25, she had undergone 30 surgeries, though none were successful. Each time she would start school she would have to drop out for another surgery. She was taking 100 Tylenol a week and was worried about organ damage as well.
At age 25, Hope was faced with the decision to either amputate one leg from the knee down or face an untold number of additional surgeries. She chose to amputate.
In Hope’s own words, "After experiencing amputation firsthand, I wanted to create an organization that would assist amputees in obtaining prosthetics. I was born with a foot deformity, and after undergoing thirty surgeries aimed at correction, the problem remained.
In June of 2002, I made the difficult decision to have my leg amputated below the knee. I encountered many difficulties while trying to purchase my first prosthetic because my insurance did not cover the cost. Fundraisers were held to raise the money needed for the purchase.
In October 2003, soon after having her own leg amputated, Hope saw a documentary on Africa and Laotian refugees. She was shocked that so many of these refugees were landmine amputees who could not afford prosthetic limbs.
In response, Hope decided to start the Limbs of Hope Foundation to aid amputees in developing countries. In September 2004, Hope collected prosthetic limbs to take to Cambodia where she donated the limbs to amputees in need.
Hope is also advocating for change here in the U.S., fighting the product liability laws that prohibit the recycling of prosthetic limbs. She hopes to get the U.S. laws overturned so that she can start donating used prosthetics to those in need in our own country as well.
For Hope, donating prosthetic limbs is just the beginning. As she has said, “At age 29, I'm an amputee. So what? Maybe this is my purpose in life. It sounds corny, but I just want to help the world - one limb at a time."
For starting an organization to donate prosthetic limbs to people in need all over the world, Hope Bevilhymer was nominated for a Jefferson Award in 2008.
