Family members lined the wall of a patient room at the Amputee & Prosthetic center’s southwest location on February 14th, 2011. They all wore red in some form, symbolic of the Valentine’s Day holiday, but the day was about more than cupid, candy and hearts - it was about love. The love of a mother, a mother who needed help to have the life she once knew.

Debbie’s Journey

54 year-old Debbie Rivera lost her right leg to diabetes two years ago, in 2009, but her trouble began before then with a sore on her foot that would not heal. One surgery led to another and five operations later, Debbie was confined to a wheel chair, unable to play with her grandchildren and deeply depressed, feeling like her independence was lost. Yet the price of a prosthetic was out of reach and without insurance, she felt she had no options.

One day in November of 2010 help, literally, drove by. One of Debbie’s adult sons saw a van with the Limbs of Love phone number on the side which started a journey the mother of 4 never could have imagined.

Her children rallied, her daughters wrote a letter to Houston-based charity Limbs of Love describing their mother as a “hero” who had always given to her family, and was now in need of help from others.

“The loss of her independence was the hardest part,” says daughter Crystal. “Watching her unable to do all of the things she wanted to do was heartbreaking.”

Limbs of Love Steps

Limbs of Love contacted the Rivera family and within a few weeks, Debbie was brought in for an evaluation with Prosthetist Rebeca Guajardo. From her first visit to her second Rebeca noticed a difference in Debbie’s demeanor.

“Her spirit have already improved from our first meeting at her initial evaluation,” noted Rebeca after creating a casting mold for Debbie’s new limb.

Limbs of Love was created in 2008 in response to the needs of amputees all over the nation, without the financial means to pay for a prosthetic device and Debbie turned out to be a perfect candidate.

Valentine’s Day

The day of Debbie’s limb delivery was already planned for a day that evokes warm feelings, Valentine’s Day, but as Debbie put on her new limb, stood and walked those first few steps, the feeling in the room was much more than could ever be conveyed on a Hallmark card - the feeling was hope.