4-year-old Haitian on steady legs six months after quake
VIDEO - For a 4-year-old, someone who just mastered the art of walking a few years earlier, learning to navigate life with a prosthetic limb can be especially difficult...
MSNBC.com started following Schneily Similien in March 2010, just two months after a devastating earthquake struck his homeland and robbed him of his left leg.
By that time, Schneily was being fitted for an artificial limb. Now, just over six months since that fateful January day, the boy has grown half an inch, but his prosthetic leg remains the same length.
For a 4-year-old, someone who just mastered the art of walking a few years earlier, learning to navigate life with a prosthetic limb can be especially difficult. And having one leg shorter than the other just poses another dilemma for a kid who has already had to overcome so much.
WATCH MSNBC COVERAGE OF SCHNEILY’S ORDEAL HERE:
[MSNBCMSN video=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640″ w=”592″ h=”346″ launch_id=”38332297″ id=”msnbc734b7b”]
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Schneily’s parents and two brothers live in a makeshift home just 20 miles outside of Port Au Prince. His father says the stress of the situation is magnified by the fact that he has been unable to find work to support his family of five.
But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel as prosthetics experts from Hanger Orthopedic Group are convening in Port Au Prince this month, and will give Schneily a much needed leg adjustment.
A small step toward recovery for a boy and his family.
To learn more about Schneily and other amputee victims from the Haiti earthquake, please visit MSNBC.com.
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