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patient-story2020-07-23 12:00:00Morgan Stickney says this thought got her through her hardest days. The 22-year-old began swimming competitively at a young age, and by 15 was ranked top 20 in the country. But one day, Morgan’s left foot started hurting during practice—setting in motion years of specialist visits, debilitating pain, and ultimately a diagnosis of a rare genetic condition and a below-knee amputation of her left leg. Undeterred, she got back in the pool, moving to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs with dreams of the Paralympics. Then her right foot fractured. Morgan turned to Spaulding to get back to the activities and life she loves—and thanks to her care team and programs supported by donors, she has. She became the first double Ewing amputee in 2019—an innovative procedure that reconnects muscles and nerves, allowing the residual leg to interact with leading-edge prosthetics. A self-described “stubborn and competitive person,” Morgan rehabbed at Spaulding after each procedure, learning how to walk and do everyday tasks on her new prosthetic limbs. Spaulding’s mission includes a commitment to improving quality of life. We do that through direct patient care, teaching and research, advocacy efforts, and innovative programming. We help people get their lives back from a wide spectrum

Meet Morgan: Paralympic Swimmer

patient-story

July 23, 2020

Morgan sitting in her hospital bed, wearing her prosthetic legs.

“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on—but you keep going anyway.”

Morgan Stickney says this thought got her through her hardest days. The 22-year-old began swimming competitively at a young age, and by 15 was ranked top 20 in the country. But one day, Morgan’s left foot started hurting during practice—setting in motion years of specialist visits, debilitating pain, and ultimately a diagnosis of a rare genetic condition and a below-knee amputation of her left leg.

Undeterred, she got back in the pool, moving to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs with dreams of the Paralympics. Then her right foot fractured.

Morgan turned to Spaulding to get back to the activities and life she loves—and thanks to her care team and programs supported by donors, she has.

She became the first double Ewing amputee in 2019—an innovative procedure that reconnects muscles and nerves, allowing the residual leg to interact with leading-edge prosthetics. A self-described “stubborn and competitive person,” Morgan rehabbed at Spaulding after each procedure, learning how to walk and do everyday tasks on her new prosthetic limbs.

Spaulding’s mission includes a commitment to improving quality of life. We do that through direct patient care, teaching and research, advocacy efforts, and innovative programming. We help people get their lives back from a wide spectrum of injuries and illnesses—from amputation, to stroke, to COVID-19. And we do it with support from donors, whose generous gifts help get our patients back to the activities and lives they love.

“Spaulding helped me get my life back,” Morgan says. “I can do everything I used to before this disease took my legs, and most importantly, I’ve accepted myself. I’m where I am today because of Spaulding.”

Morgan plans to graduate from college next year and hopes to attend medical school one day. And she’s already back in the pool, with her sights on the Tokyo Paralympics—rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more about Morgan's story >

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