A Crowsnest Pass, Alta., man known for his remarkable survival and generosity to others has been overwhelmed with community support. Hundreds of people rallied to fund his new prosthetic leg.
In 2008, Ken Hildebrand was trapped under an ATV in Alberta’s winter wilderness while out trapping alone, and survived three nights before being found.
His right leg was subsequently amputated, while his left leg was already weak due to surviving polio as a child.
The prosthetic he’s worn since shortly after the accident has given him trouble for several months, prompting family friend Deborah Hinter to start a gofundme page in August, with a goal just shy of $80,000 to cover the costly device.
“I expected that we would reach the goal, but I did not expect that we would reach it in one month,” Hinter admitted. “I was particularly overwhelmed with the diverse background of the people (who donated) — from Quebec, from Ontario, from the Maritimes — different nationalities, strangers.”
On Thursday, Hildebrand met up with his daughter Lori Kronyk, who travelled from Kelowna, B.C., and good friends Deborah and Ross Hinter, who made the trip from northern Alberta, to see the prosthesis for the first time.
“I’d really like to thank all the people who helped make this dream possible,” Hildebrand said.
The gofundme, along with outside donations, surmounted to $86,700 — covering the new prosthesis and then some. They are considering putting the extra funds toward a new brace to help his polio leg.
“It’s a bit heavy, eh?” Hildebrand joked as he held the leg in his hands. “But it probably won’t be able to break then.”
Kronyk said Thursday’s appointment was very emotional for her.
“(I’m) excited for my dad, that he gets this opportunity to be able to move around again, and hopefully he won’t keep falling, and banging himself up,” his daughter said.
The new leg, an Ottobock X3, is a step up from his current model.
Andy Mason, a sales representative for Ottobock Canada, is confident this leg will be the right fit for Ken. It’s fully waterproof with a micro-processor controlled knee.
“It’s a prosthetic knee with a hydraulic unit in it that is controlled by a computer,” Mason explained.
“So the idea is that it replicates what the amputated leg would do.
“That’s the best part of this whole job… to see somebody like Ken, that really puts these devices to use and really gets the benefit out of them.”
Prosthetists at Lethbridge Orthotic Prosthetic Services Ltd. still have some adjustments to make to Ken’s leg, to ensure everything is angled and fitted properly, but Hildebrand was given his new leg to take home on Thursday.
“I am a challenge because they’ve never had anyone with polio before and they’re trying to figure things out because my body’s not aligned the way it should be,” Hildebrand explained.
“(It’s) so much easier to get up and to even walk than with the old leg.”
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