Dear Sir, - Although I have been a reader of "London Life" for several years, this is my first letter to your columns, so I feel I must really commence by wishing you the continued success which I am sure your paper really deserves, catering as it does for all classes of readers.
I am a one-legged girl, 24 years of age, but as you will learn from this letter, I am no stranger to one-leggedness. When I was eight years of age I got my right foot very badly crushed, which necessitated its amputation just above the ankle. After my foot had been amputated I got about on a single crutch and very soon became a well-known figure.
Needless to say, the loss of my foot at that age did not deter me from entering in all youngster's games - in fact I was a regular tomboy, and earned for myself the nickname "Stumpy."
Of course I had quite a lot of falls and broke my footless leg on two occasions, and then when I was 19 during some very slippery winter weather I had rather a bad fall and broke my leg again. This time the doctor could not get the bone to knit, and told me it would be necessary to amputate my leg.
As there seemed no other way in which I could get about again I agreed to the amputation, but suggested that in order to avoid any more breaks that my leg be amputated above the knee.
I went into a nursing home for the amputation and came out a few weeks later minus my footless leg.
I really must say that I prefer my present one-legged condition to the long, footless leg which I previously had. I have been asked scores of times by people why I do not wear my artificial leg, but I tell them that I much prefer the natural freedom to having an artificial contraption, and after my slender crutch have become a secondary part of my anatomy during the last sixteen years of my life.
I am employed by a firm which necessitates my travelling all over the country, and I can honestly say that I have never found my one-legged condition any bar to my getting about in the discharge of my duties. In fact I seem to get on better than many colleagues who have both legs. Everyone is so nice and sympathetic with me, although I really prefer to have just one leg.
I use a car and drive on average about 300 miles a week. Stairs are no difficulty to me. I hop up them on my one leg quite easily, helped, of course, by my crutch.
I think I can honestly say that being one-legged has its compensations in many ways. For instance, I am certain I get a great deal more attention than I should do if I had two legs, and I have had several offers of marriage; but I have an interest in my firm and a little private money, so I preferred to remain a one-legged spinster.
I used to find that my crutch was inclined to rub against my clothes and thus wear them out rather quickly, as I hopped along. But I discovered that by having my dresses and costumes made to fit me rather tight, my crutch does not rub against them nearly so much. Of course it is quite impossible to avoid a certain amount of friction owing to the unavoidable hop a one-legged person always gets into.
I must, however, admit that the extra tightness of my clothes has a tendency to make my one-leggedness more pronounced, but I am quite oblivious to this, as I am so accustomed to having only one leg.
Trusting that I have not taken up too much of your valuable space and if you would care to publish it I will send you a photo I had taken in my garden quite recently standing with my crutch.
Yours truly,
Glad To Be So