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Bartlett teen collects funds for prosthetic leg

“My dream is to be able to run with a prosthetic made to keep up with me,” says 18-year-old Tiffany Wallace of Bartlett.

The Bartlett High School senior was born with a right leg that never fully formed below the knee — a condition known as amniotic band syndrome. She has had multiple prostheses since she was 11 months old.

Despite that impediment, Wallace has been active all her life — learning ballet in elementary school, playing basketball in middle school and badminton in high school.

Wallace said most teens her age typically are worried about saving money to buy a car or rent their first apartment, while she is more concerned with her quality of life.

“I'm trying to get a leg for sports and staying active,” she said. “I don't want to let it slow me down. I'm not going to let it hold me back.”

Wallace has started an online campaign to collect $20,000 for a new prosthetic leg so she can continue participating in athletics at Illinois State University, where she will be studying nursing this fall. So far, she has collected roughly $4,800 with the help of friends and family using social media sites to spread the word.

Wallace also has reached out to members of her youth group at Willow Creek Church in South Barrington.

“I've been so overwhelmed and grateful for everything,” Wallace said. “I've wanted the (athletic) prosthetic for a long time. Watching other (para-Olympics) amputees going out and doing things with them. ... I didn't want to wait anymore for it.”

Wallace takes initiative on and off the court, pushes herself and never complains, said Diane O'Connell, Bartlett High varsity badminton coach and Advanced Placement biology teacher.

“She really goes for whatever she wants. Nothing is really going to hold her back,” O'Connell said. “I just wish that her leg would keep up with her overall athletic mind. She could be a great athlete. It's just her current situation is not allowing her to reach her full potential.”

Wallace tried out and made the varsity badminton team her junior year. Training for badminton requires hours of tough conditioning and a lot of running, which her everyday walking prosthetic is not built to handle. Her leg becomes sore and she can't walk the next day without pain.

“It is hard physically, as well as emotionally, but I endure it because I love to play badminton and love that I am an athlete,” Wallace writes on her fundraising blog. She wants to get the prosthetic to train for her final season of tournaments starting in March.

A custom-built athletic prosthesis can cost between $20,000 and $25,000, which is not covered under insurance, said her father, Roger Wallace.

“The insurance has been, thankfully, paying for her everyday prosthetic, but anything beyond that they are not likely to cover because it's not considered a need,” he said.

Wallace would have to switch back and forth between her everyday prosthesis and the athletic one because each foot is designed for different purposes.

“It's really hard to design something that's good for everything,” Roger Wallace said. “She just really does want to be a part of different sports. ... It's just so hard to watch her trying so hard and have this as a stumbling block. Her mom and I are so proud of her taking this on, and wanting to do this for herself.”

To donate or follow Wallace's blog, visit life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/my-dream-prosthetic-running-leg.

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