Overcoming Adversity
The story of Maria Wuerzinger-Weber
Maria Wuerzinger was a happy girl growing up in the town of Woodhaven, Michigan. When she was only 16 years old, she discovered a hard mass behind her right knee. She had always been very healthy and athletic growing up and had never had any prior injuries to her knee or leg. Her visit to the hospital revealed a diagnosis that would change her life forever. The doctor explained to her that the mass was a desmoid tumor/aggressive fibromatosis.
After having surgery to remove the tumor, she went back to high school. Again, during her senior year, she had more reoccurrences of tumors which again had to be removed. Despite the distraction of her medical condition, Maria excelled in school and she received scholastic scholarships, one to attend Eastern Michigan University. Unfortunately, due to her worsening medical condition, she had to relinquish the scholarships and was unable to attend college.
Over the next 10 years, Maria had undergone 14 surgeries from the ankle to waist as well as a variety of treatments: cobalt, radiation and hormonal drugs. However the results were encouraging...the tumors were eliminated. She had no signs of the tumors resurfacing for the next 8 years. Feeling like she had dodged a major bullet in life, she had yet to realize that the challenge had just begun.
She met her husband Bill Weber, through a mutual friend. They were married in 1981. "We didn't "settle down" really until our son "Mitchel" arrived 9 years later. We spent most of the early years working at our careers. Having a child of our own was very doubtful due to my medical problems, so you can understand what a blessing Mitchel truly is to us. Since Bill's career as a regional sales manager for a textile company required extensive traveling, I gladly decided to stay home with Mitchel."
In the winter of 1995, they moved into a new log house in Bowling Green, Ohio. One day, she was in her sons room putting away laundry when she heard a "cracking" noise. "I listened and assumed it was just the logs "settling". A ripping, tearing noise soon followed and then I hit the floor like a ton of bricks! I laid there and tried to understand the impossible", she said. Her right femur had broken in half, simply disintegrating by itself as she stood. She would later learn that it was called a pathological fracture due to the complications of the tumors she had endured from when she was 16.
Mitchel, who was four at the time, heard her blood curdling screams coming from the bedroom. He immediately ran to find her husband to alert him of a serious problem. "I remember laying on the floor in Mitchel's bedroom and looking up and seeing his two little feet dangling above my head. To me, that was a sign from God saying that somehow I would be alright", she said.
She was taken by ambulance to Wood County Hospital, then by another ambulance to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital, where her physician, Dr. Kenneth Marks, was. During the two and a half hour trip, "I prayed like I never prayed before. I knew this was a serious situation and couldn't understand how my leg could have broken without any apparent reason", Maria said.
Maria's sister-in-law, Sharon, was a nurse manager at the hospital. She lovingly placed a large photo of Mitchel, which she had in her office, directly in front of her. That was exactly what she needed to comfort her during the early stages of this ordeal.
The diagnosis was the worst. A biopsy verified that it was radiation induced osteo-genic sarcoma...cancer!! The break set the bone cancer off like a bomb. Her options were to either lose the leg and hip or only survive 7-8 months. Maria faced the most difficult decision of her life. "How would I be able to function on one leg? I had a family to take care of and now I will be the one they will have to take care of. But as I sat in the hospital bed with this looming cloud of unknowns, I looked at the picture of Mitchel in front of me and I knew I had my answer", Maria recalls. "I had a son that God gave me and I would be here with him and for him. I would not let tumors, bone cancer, or a major amputation stop me from being his mother." Her leg and hip were amputated on April 3, 1995. She went home only 4 days later, "thanks to Sharon, the h-70 nurses on my floor, my doctor and his staff."
Maria's mother literally filled her shoes, taking care of everything along with Bill. During the next 10 months of adjuvant chemotherapy, she suffered every side effect known and invented a few along the way. "The support of my family, friends, and community was overwhelming. My husband never faltered and never gave up on me. You need to remember - he suffered through this also, feeling so helpless and frustrated. I married a real man. Amidst the many prayers was a determination to WIN this fight", Maria said.
Maria's brother-in-law, Jim, (married to Sharon), was my guiding force in my recovery. Jim is an amputee below the knee, with the Vietnam medals to prove it. Ironic isn't it? - or is it? "I believe everything happens for a reason. I was very anxious to be fitted for a prosthesis. I was warned early on about the challenges with a prosthesis at this level - but I was not giving up now (a little family trait). I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by prosthetists who were all caring, sensitive friends", Maria recalls. Her prosthesis was altered and refined as she became healthier and more active, but she still wasn't satisfied. She would wear her prosthesis for at least 12-14 hours a day. The results were cuts, abrasions and major fatigue.
" I continued doing research for a better prosthesis, your job as the patient, and discovered Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics. They sent me a video and information packet, which has stories of amputees as told by amputees. The thing that stood out about this prosthetic company was their unique approach to the design of the socket. I knew that if I could have a socket that fit my body exactly that it would give me more function and control over the prosthesis", Maria said. Maria made an appointment with the Hanger office in Akron, Ohio to have an evaluation done to determine what her options were. Maria continues, "When I met the prosthetist, Kyle Underwood, I knew this was the right decision. You see, Kyle also suffered through a hip-disarticulation due to osteo-genic sarcoma and has overcome this situation with incredible accomplishments. I was extremely active on my prosthesis but Kyle was even more active than me on his prosthesis. Kyle's famous words are "Maria, you can do anything you want to do". I could not believe the difference the Hanger ComfortFlex™ Socket has made. I am able to wear my prosthesis even longer than I could imagine and in comfort too. I am able to do more things without getting fatigued. Subsequently, Kyle has promised to teach me how to ride my bike again by my next birthday in August. I'll be sure to have my helmet on and first-aid kit handy!
Maria is currently working on a book to help others faced with these challenges. "I never stopped learning - but I do regret not being able to attend college. As life goes on your goals change as well as your financial outlook. I still feel like I have so much to give - but that college diploma often interrupts my goals. Life is what you make of it and for me - life is good again. I try to set an example everywhere I go (home, work, volunteering, the gym, and consulting other amputees). Life is a challenge, but well worth the fight and remember - "You're Not Alone"!!