Olya, a young lady from Belarus who was born without legs during the time of the Chernobyl disaster, was unable to walk or sit correctly. She had lived in an orphanage since birth, but last week she turned 18 and was lucky enough to finally come to England to get specialised help in fitting her with a much needed wheelchair.

Thanks to staff at UHSM and charity Teams4U, Olya now has a brand new sports wheelchair to maximise her independent mobility and reduce her sitting discomfort.

Unfortunately, Olya is unable to use prosthetic limbs to enable her to walk, but she has also been provided with cosmetic lower limbs.

Dr Martin Twiste from the University of Salford, United National Institute of Prosthetics and Orthotics Development (UNIPOD) and Dave Cooke from Teams4U coordinated Olya’s visit to UHSM’s Disablement Service Centre (in Withington). Professor Jai Kulkarni, Clinical Director, and Allan Moore, Rehabilitation Engineering Service Manager and colleagues at the DSC assessed and fitted Olya for her new wheelchair. The wheelchair was specifically designed for her to include a bespoke seating and backrest system and overcome the pain and discomfort she had previously experienced in other wheelchairs. Olya was also supplied with customise cosmetic lower limb prostheses.

Teams4U is a charity set up to make a difference to the lives of children around the world that find themselves in desperate and hopeless situations. Manchester DSC provides those with limb loss/amputees with comprehensive multisystem rehabilitation, specialised seating and amputee/prosthetic rehabilitation. Together they were able to combine their expertise to provide Olya with her life changing wheelchair and cosmetic prosthetic limbs. 

The wheelchair will make a huge difference to Olya’s life, particularly in helping her continue with one of her passions and skills in Latin dance. 

Teams4U and Olya have expressed their thanks to the following DSC staff:

Professor Kulkarni      Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine

Allan J Moore  Rehabilitation Engineering Service Manager

Jane Coates                Posture and Mobility Therapist

Kevin Murphy              Senior Rehabilitation Engineering Technician

Matthew McKeever     Rehabilitation Engineering Technician

Ken Williams               Senior Prosthetist

Helen Brigham            Prosthetist

Jim Waterworth          Technician