NewsState

Actions

Three-year-old amputee finally takes first steps

Thanks to the kindness of a stranger
WPTV-ALEXA-PRIETO-.jpg
Posted at 12:46 PM, Jan 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-22 12:46:57-05

TAMPA, Fla.-- At only three-months-old Alexa Prieto became a double amputee.

Now at three-year-old she's taking a big first step toward living a normal life.

"Everybody's waiting for this moment and they've been waiting for a long time to see her walk," said her mother Jacqueline Vidal.

The experts at Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa fitted Alexa with a pair of temporary prosthetics Monday. The little girl from Cuba lost her legs after contracting an infection at a Havana hospital.

Armando Quirantes is a Cuban-born prosthetics specialist in Miami. After seeing Alexa's story on TV, he sponsored her to come to the U-S for treatment.

"She bring her little girl to the hospital for a simple intestinal problem and she returned with a little girl with no legs," he said.

After living her life without ever walking Alexa is finally taking her first step.

"Because she's a child she's going to learn very well very fast," said prosthetist Dr. Bryan Sinnott.

Dr. Sinnott is part of Alexa's care team.

No stranger to such miracles, he says the only thing more miraculous is the look upon a parent's face. "You watch how a mom takes in the fact her child is standing so it's a wonderful thing. I'm just lucky to be a part of all this stuff."