– Amputees often feel like their lives are ruined and that people will see them as monsters. After Christina Stephens lost her left foot in an accident she came up with an idea to inspire fellow amputees and help them realize that they can rebuild their life– and she did it with Lego.
In January Stephens was changing the brake pads on her car when the car slipped off the jack and landed on her left foot. She thought it was broken but didn't think it looked that bad, but weeks later her foot turned grey and the pain had not gotten any better so she chose to have it amputated.
Stephens was joking with her friends one day about what kind of prosthetic leg she should use. One friend suggested she make her own out of Lego, and, having a Lego expert as a child, she decided to take up the challenge.
She shot a time-lapse video of the entire project, which took two hours. However the leg doesn't help her walk at all: When she puts her weight on it the foot and ankle crumble.
The video was uploaded to her YouTube account where she has over 30 videos detailing her life without her foot and talking about issues that face her and other amputees. "Part of what I want to do with my videos is de-stigmatize amputation and make it less scary," she said.
Since it was uploaded her Lego leg video has received more than 1.3 million views. "I thought my Legos video had some viral potential, but I had no idea it would explode like it did," Stephens said.
But why spend two hours building a Lego leg that doesn't work? "The video is sort of a metaphor for rebuilding your life after a disability," Stephens said. She works as an occupational therapist, who is someone who works on living and working skills with people who have physical, mental, or developmental conditions.
Now that she is also someone with a physical condition, Stephens is able to show people how they can live without limbs instead of just telling them.
