Peterborough woman with one foot searching for fellow amputee to share shoes with

Emma Henson, 20, has a rare condition called Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS), and when she was born, her right leg had swelled to double the size of her left one.

When Emma, from Peterborough, was one, her parents made the decision to have the leg amputated, as due to its size, she would never be able to walk on it.

Her leg causes her too much pain to wear a prosthetic, meaning that Emma only needs to wear one shoe.

However, she said that throughout her life, she has struggled to find companies that will sell her a single shoe, leaving her feeling as though she is not accepted.

She is now searching for a left foot amputee, who is a size six shoe, who she can share footwear with.

Emma, who originally shared her story with Talk To The Press, said: “My leg is constantly swelling and getting infected, so wearing a prosthetic is so painful and makes me bleed.

“I’ve got a whole bin bag, if not two at home, full of right foot shoes.

"I would love to find a left leg amputee who is also a UK size six so that we could share shoes.

“I’ve tried to give my odd shoes to charities, to help other amputees, but nowhere will accept them.

“It makes me feel not accepted in the world, I was born like this, I didn’t choose it. "

Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is a rare congenital condition with symptoms including port-wine stain birthmarks, varicose veins, and limb overgrowth.

When Emma was born, her right leg was twice the size of her left leg, and was covered in port wine stains, and open wounds.

When she was one, doctors told her parents that they could either choose to have the leg amputated from the knee down, or she would be in a wheelchair forever, as the size of her leg meant that she would never be able to walk on it.

Due to the size of Emma’s leg, it is too painful for her to have a prosthetic, so instead she uses crutches to walk around, and has a wheelchair for long journeys.

As Emma only has one foot, she only needs one shoe, however, she said she has found it impossible to find a company who will sell her a single shoe.

She said she has emailed countless shoe companies but is always told that she will have to just buy a pair of shoes.

Emma said that companies not giving amputees the option to just buy one shoe makes her feel not accepted by society, as she did not choose to be born with KTS.

She added that she doesn’t think it’s fair that she has to fork out for two shoes, when one will just end up in the back of her wardrobe.

Emma said: “A pair of shoes sometimes costs £150, and I can’t afford that if one of them is just going to sit in the wardrobe.

“I think companies should give you the option of just buying one shoe, and paying half price for it.

“It would make companies look good, and make everyone feel included.

“There’s probably a lot of people out there who are having the same issue as me, and it’s so unfair that one shoe just goes to waste.”

She feels that there must be many people like her in the same predicament, so is searching for someone, not only to share shoes with, but also to relate to.

Emma said: "One of my goals is to find someone out there who is like me to talk to about our similarities and help make each other feel better about ourselves."