London Life

Swinging Along

Dear Sir, - With your permission I should like to address an open letter to "Colleen on Crutches." I think I am in a position to answer most, if not all of your queries in your letter to "London Life", but to do so I must crave the editors patience for a long letter.

I, too, am a one-legged girl, but have been on crutches longer than you, even though I am only 24. If I can help you, my crippled sister, I shall only be too pleased; but first let me say that you and I view our lost legs in rather different ways. You, my dear, have a very definite inferiority complex, occasioned by your loss, whilst I have no such feelings, as I'm infinitely happy in my one-legged state and endeavour to make an art of my misfortune(?) and get the best out of and for my one and only leg.

So, at the start, try and realise that most of your troubles are caused by that complex of yours.

1. Alter the position of your hands, ever so often, on the crutch hold and do not curl your fingers too much, but take the weight more above the palm of the hand.
2. Your ankle will not thicken, as no extra weight will be thrown on your leg - indeed less than if you still had both your legs - as the weight is taken by your arms and crutches. If you adopted that terrible contraption - a false leg - your own leg would certainly suffer a great deal.
3. Have your evening frocks slightly padded under the arms; but the question of material is, I admit, a difficult one.
4. In time you will be able to wear a much higher heel with complete comfort and confidence. Your ankle aching is caused by the fact that your crutches are not quite long enough to compensate for the high heel. They must be sufficiently long to allow you to stand without stooping with the rests comfortable under your armpits.
5. Do not use a hook on your crutches - it looks bad, and the parcels swing too much - but carry them by a string on your fingers as you grip the crutch hold.
6. Snow is a great trial for us cripples, but if your crutches are properly shod with rubber and you go carefully, you need have no fear of slipping; but on a frozen surface it is definitely risky even for those with two legs and little can be done to avoid falling, except to use great care. Always walk over glass with greatest caution.
7. This is just self-consciousness, and will very soon disappear when you are really accustomed to having only one leg and one foot. This is where your inferiority complex is at its worst. Get rid of it, and understand that you have attractions as you are now.
8. Your natural attractions are bound to give way before the obvious facts that you have only one leg and use crutches. When people have seen the obvious and have, very naturally, felt sorry for you as a young crippled girl, they will see your own natural attractions and the combination of these factors will soon make you forget the primary reason they stared at you. The remarks you hear you will, if you are wise, take in good part and real gratefulness that there are people who can, and do, sympathise with a pretty crippled girl. Remember that sympathy helps to make life livable.
9. In a sense you are wise not to go away with people, as you do not wish to spoil their fun and activities on account of your being a cripple. Why not go with a friend with whom you have a mutual understanding and who is ready to leave you alone when you prefer it? In this way you will be introduced to nice people and will not feel shy, as you might (on account of your lameness) if you met people entirely by yourself.
10. Men, if they are the right sort (the only ones worth troubling about), will naturally sympathise with you, and will want to know how it is you have only one leg. Tell them all about it, for it is nothing to be ashamed of. Next, they will try to help and cheer you up, and very soon that bond of attraction which started by your being one-legged will develop in friendship, for which you will thank the fates that bid you walk on crutches and deprived you of one shapely leg, thus giving you and your two great attractions - a pretty face and the irresistible attraction of being a one-legged cripple.

The last part of your letter dealing with minor matters, is most interesting. That concerning the washing of your back is easily overcome by doing so by sitting in the bath. Never do such things when standing on one leg in a slippery bath. If, however, you must stand, get a small weighted board to fit the bottom of the bath and big enough to stand on, but see that it is not soapy or you might fall and break your one remaining leg. Lastly, when you are in bed, it is all to the good that you feel you still have two legs. This, with your complex, probably precludes you from having unpleasant dreams.

You are lucky if you do not experience a jumping of the amputated limb, which is what most of us one-legged girls feel pretty often.

If any, or all, of my remarks have helped you, "Colleen on Crutches" to be brave and more content with your lot, and given you more confidence in yourself, I am glad, and you must join me in thanking the Editor for devoting so much valuable space for this letter.

Finally, do remember that both you and I are exceedingly attractive on our crutches, and it is up to us to make our own leg as charming as we can, and to dress our only foot in the daintiest of high-heeled shoes. We can then swing along on our slender crutches contented and happy in spite of our one-leggedness.

May you soon be as happy as

Yours truly,

Left Leg Only.