Peg leg

Dale is healing well from his ankle surgery as far as we know, though to be fair we don't know much. He is reasonably comfortable in his sleek black cast, which the children have signed in silver sharpie. He works normal hours, drives, parents, and somehow manages to sleep in the limited positions that his cast allows. He is amused by not needing to match his socks when he's folding laundry.

At work he uses a rolling knee scooter, which is a great thing. How did it take humanity so long to come up with this? It is stable and comfortable and well suited to his workplace, with its long wide halls and frequent transitions from sitting to standing to sitting again. However, there are still major limitations. The scooter can't go on gravel or grass or even rough sidewalk, and it certainly can't go upstairs. It also doesn't put itself in the trunk of the car; Dale can do it solo, but then needs crutches to get around to the driver's seat. And neither crutches nor the scooter leave your hands free. Dale is very capable, but when he took himself to the grocery store, there was just no good option. He couldn't push a cart, so he hung a basket from the scooter handle, but he needed more than the basket could hold, and then what about when they bagged his groceries? The whole thing was very awkward, and irritating.

Enter the iWalk, which was recommended by Dale's surgeon. This is basically a peg leg, with support for the calf of the injured leg.

Strange as it looks, this thing totally works! It takes a few minutes to learn how to walk, but within half an hour it feels surprisingly natural, and within a day it pretty much feels like part of your leg. Pirate jokes are welcome, Dale makes them himself.

With the iWalk, Dale's hands are free, which is huge. And he can go up and down stairs safely, which is also huge. It's compact and light so it's easy to tote around as needed, and he's using an almost-normal walking motion, which is probably good for his recovery. Look at him go!

(Okay, this may have been a tiny bit staged. But he was actually playing badminton with Aaron, in a limited way.)

The iWalk is not as convenient as having two working legs. For example, when you stand up (or sit down) you need to strap yourself in (or unstrap yourself), which is a bit of a process. But overall it is the best mobility device Dale has used; if he had to pick just one, it would definitely be this one. More people should know about this. It's really very good.

10 days until his next appointment! If everything goes according to plan, he will get his cast off then, and begin walking on two feet. Not to mention putting on a matching pair of socks for the first time in two months. We are very hopeful.