In The News

Feet, don't fail him now

Shaw now at home working up to walking on his own

Harry Shaw is back in Port Aransas, and he's ready to begin a new chapter in his life with a new pair of prosthetic legs.

But he knows that the process of learning to walk again will be no walk in the park.

"It's going to be slow progress," he said. "Little steps grow into big ones."

Harry lost both of his natural legs to combat injuries when he was a 21-yearold Army paratrooper serving in Grenada in 1983.

After recovering from the injuries that nearly killed him, he tried using prosthetic limbs for several months, but they irritated the scar tissue on his legs. And the prosthetics of that era were so heavy that Harry decided they were more trouble than they were worth.

He has been in a wheelchair for nearly three decades. But, after recently learning about advances that have been made in prosthetics over the years, Harry made the decision to acquire a pair of high-tech artificial limbs that are made of titanium and carbon graphite fiber.

He planned to dedicate himself to walking again.

Harry and his family traveled to Houston on Monday, May 24. They spent much of the next few days at an orthopedic clinic where Harry repeatedly tried out a new pair of legs, using two parallel bars for support. Technicians gradually molded and tweaked the new legs so they were just right for him.

The Shaws' trip was accompanied by a certain amount of hoopla. Not only did the South Jetty run front-page stories about Harry's new legs, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times also followed the drama, and so did some Houston television news organizations.

Harry has written a blog about his odyssey. His wife, Ginny, has continued to update her Facebook page with developments. On Facebook, she said, at least 50 people have commented to her about Harry's legs.

"People say this has all been very inspirational," Ginny said. "That's the phrase they use a lot."

Everyone, it seems, is familiar with Harry's story now.

"People on the street will wave at us, and we don't even know who they are," Ginny said.

But things mostly have quieted down since the Shaws headed back to Port Aransas on Friday, May 28. On Monday, May 31, Harry and Ginny relaxed with their 7-year-old daughter, Lucie, at a favorite island coffee shop and talked about how things were going.

"I like them," Harry said, tapping at one of his artificial limbs with a forefinger. "I do think they're going to work."

Harry already has had the prosthetics decorated with emblems of his continued love and support for the military branch with which he served. A patch with the words "82nd Airborne" is laminated on the sheath-like part of the prosthetic that fits over his right thigh. The design includes a skull and crossbones and a pair of wings.

The left leg is laminated with designs including the American flag, a bald eagle and the Texas state flag.

Harry can't walk yet on the prosthetics. For now, his assignment is simply to wear the legs for an hour or so each day to keep getting used to them. Meanwhile, he still gets around in his wheelchair.

The Shaws are working on getting connected with a physical therapist who will help Harry train to walk. They think Harry will probably have to travel to Corpus Christi three days a week for the rehab work, which could begin this week.

How long the rehab will last is anyone's guess. A Houston prosthetics expert told Harry that it will be at least six weeks before he is able to walk. Even then, it will be with crutches.

Harry knows it will take time, and he's fine with that.

"I think there will come a point when everything will all-of-a-sudden click," he said. "But that's somewhere down the road."