Frank Schaller

No regrets

After his work accident and the following surgery, Frank's surgical wound, unfortunately, got infected. The infection had worsened, making it impossible for the leg to heal properly. What was going on inside his mind at this point, Frank recollects rather soberly:

"I only had to take a look at my roommate with a similar clinical picture to understand that I didn't want to expose myself to such a life in a hospital bed. The patient with whom I shared my room at the time had been in the hospital for almost a year and had evidently given up. "

In order to put a quick end to this nightmare, and return to his life, Frank decides to have an amputation.

"I knew that my wife and children and also our friends and neighbours would support me unconditionally."

To this day, Frank is often quoted by friends and loved ones when it comes to the reason for his decision at the time: "Frank will be Frank – the only change will be that he is missing a bit of his leg." To this day, he has never regretted his decision.

Team with a dream

After the amputation wound had healed, Frank received a so-called transitional prosthesis in 2006 that was intended to help his residual limb get used to wearing a prosthetic socket.

Barely a year later, Frank, with the support of his innovative orthopedic technician, becomes a  'prosthesis pioneer'.

"I was the first person in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany, who was given the opportunity to test a prosthetic foot named Proprio Foot®. I was lucky, because not only was I able to return to work, but I was able to resume my various leisure activities without exception."

The fact that, bike riding, motorcycling, voluntary work in a fire brigade and competitive bowling were among his activities still leaves people speechless.

"In addition, there are our trips to the Baltic Sea several times a year as well as various musical performances where I play a brass instrument."

Moreover, even the Dekra test commission has cleared Frank for driving cars with manual transition, proving once again that there are no limitations for him.

"At the time, they thoroughly checked my operational capability on behalf of my employer and found me absolutely fit to drive all vehicles."

All of this, according to Frank, is possible because his prosthetic Proprio Foot is a true all-rounder.

Whether I have to adjust the prosthetic foot to the heel height of my footwear when changing shoes or lower the tip of my foot to the floor when sitting down - the processor-controlled foot obeys my word.

"It has to, because in my everyday life – even now as a retiree – my foot is constantly challenged.“

Without a shed of a doubt, from the start, the 69-year-old decided against a cosmetic foot cover, whose main purpose is to simulate a near to natural skin appearance.

"I am fully convinced of this advanced technology, so I have no reason to hide it, but I understand that such a cover might help other users to feel more comfortable."