Paola’s Story

Paola is a confident, ever-smiling young woman from Brazil. Hit by a car when she was only 21, her leg was crushed as a result. Yet she was determined not to let negativity win.

Prior to the accident, Paola had known nothing about limb-loss, and at the start of rehabilitation she took to social media to document her road to recovery and share the reality of her experience. She quickly realized that people worry about their bodies and body-image, especially following the trauma of losing a limb. As she regained her own confidence, her online presence steadily became a source of inspiration to people in similar situations.

Fast-forward three years and this is now a full-time role. Paola has over 2.5 million ‘followers’ and continues to inspire people across the world. She works as a model and has various sponsorship agreements with big international brands. Aware of the serious responsibilities that this kind of success brings, Paola tries to show her life as it really is. For her, the most important thing is for people to love and accept themselves as they are.

Paola leads a very busy life. Whether she is on the road travelling to her next job, or relaxing at home, Paola needs to be able to rely on her prosthetic solution for peace of mind and the ability to tackle the different environments she encounters day-to-day. Her prosthetic foot allows her the opportunity to change her footwear quickly and easily to suit her outfits. Its heel-height adjustability means she doesn’t have to worry about the potential effect of different shoes on her posture and movements. It may seem like a trivial thing, but being able to wear all kinds of footwear, or even just walk barefoot, helps give Paola a sense of independence. And it’s something many of her online followers, especially women, ask about.