Around 2 million people in the United States are considered amputees. Each year 185,000 people undergo amputation surgery, according to the Amputee Coalition. No two situations are the same. A limb may be amputated because of an accident, injury, illness, or disease. Other limb differences are due to the way a person’s body formed in the womb, which is sometimes described as “congenital amputation.”

About the author:

Let me take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Tanya Khvitsko, and I am a congenital double amputee from Belarus. My birth defects were caused by the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, which took place in 1986. After spending parts of my childhood in the US, I made Kansas City my home in 2008. Six years ago, I began running on a pair of my very first running blades! Since then, my journey has included multiple 5Ks, 10Ks, 7 half-marathons and 1 marathon. Running has given me confidence, which made me an athlete and allowed me to be a mentor for other amputees, as well as non-amputees.