Father defies odds to walk again with prosthetic leg after mining accident

Petros Letsoalo suffered a severe compound fracture when a heavy piece of metal equipment crushed his lower right leg in an underground mining accident near Witbank in October 2024. Through hard work and sheer determination, he is now back home and walking again ­– with a prosthetic leg that helps him keep up with his energetic young daughter.

“Life can change in a second. I never thought I would have to go through an amputation, but you never know what can happen in a day,” says Petros.

Immediately after the accident, Petros was rushed to the level 1 trauma centre at Netcare Alberton Hospital for lifesaving emergency treatment. “All the doctors tried their best, but my leg could not be saved due to the severity of the accident. When I heard that we needed to call my family to discuss amputation, it was a terrible moment, and at first, I was scared and confused,” he recalls.

“As the days went on, I thought about it more, and I realised that amputating my injured leg was necessary for me to get better. With the guidance of a psychologist at the hospital, I focused on my four-year-old daughter, and I came to accept that life goes on. I realised that my daughter still needs me, and she has kept me going through all of this.”

About two weeks later, when Petros was medically stable after his amputation, he was transferred to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital for intensive, multidisciplinary therapy to help aid his recovery.

“Losing a limb is a significant, lifechanging event, and it can be extremely stressful for a person to imagine how they will manage daily life and earn a living afterwards,” says Dr Rajesh Bhoola, who was part of the team that worked with Petros to help him adapt and prepare for a prosthetic leg fitting.

“Mr Letsoalo was admitted for wound care and rehabilitation, and we developed a personalised programme to meet his specific needs. The holistic inpatient treatment included physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological support, assistance from social workers and nutritional guidance to help him prepare to return home with as much independence as possible.”

Occupational therapist AndreÌ a Teixeira-Jardim says residential integration starts with an assessment of the person’s mobility, such as whether they are using a wheelchair, crutches, or walking with a prosthetic, and mastering the practical aspects of independent living.

“From day one, the focus is on how much the person can do, starting with table-top activities and self-care, then working on mobilising with crutches indoors and outdoors on uneven ground.”

Petros says, “They taught me how to do so many things, including making myself breakfast on crutches – it is really not as easy as it might sound if you’ve never had to do it yourself. When I first got to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital, I thought a wheelchair would be okay for me, but as time went on, the occupational therapist convinced me to try walking with a prosthesis. She told me that I would get used to it.”

Dr Bhoola explains that once the wound has healed after amputation, tight bandaging is applied for months afterwards to form the stump into a cone shape that will allow for greater stability within the prosthetic leg. “Meanwhile, the prosthetist measures the patient so that the prosthesis can be made especially for the individual according to their unique dimensions,” Dr Bhoola says.

Petros was discharged in early December and returned to Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital on 20 January 2025 to start training with his brand new prosthetic leg. “At first, it seemed daunting. I started with crutches, and I was scared that I would just fall if I tried to walk. The physiotherapist, prosthetist and occupational therapist worked hard with me, and I had to practise, practise, practise. After some time, I found I no longer needed the crutches,” he recalls.

“The physiotherapist started gait training, a type of physical therapy that focuses on improving a person’s ability to walk, with a test prosthesis, and soon Mr Letsoalo was gaining confidence in walking with a prosthetic leg and learning to keep his balance. The occupational therapist worked on integrating the walking, reaching and bending into functional tasks,” says Teixeira Jardim.  

“I remember the day Mr Letsoalo came striding down to the rehabilitation gym for the first time without needing a wheelchair, it was a significant milestone in his recovery,” Dr Bhoola says.

“By the time he left us, Mr Letsoalo was doing fantastically well and no longer needed crutches. While his injury will not allow him to resume his previous underground duties, he has been highly motivated to reintegrate back home, and in a few months, he will be able to resume working, albeit in a different role.”

Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital general manager Gugulethu Setati adds, “Mr Letsoalo’s experience and progress demonstrate that a traumatic incident does not mean the end of your life – it may mean a pause and regroup and the start of a new chapter,” she says.

“I would not be the person I am today if not for the team at Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital. I would like to thank them, and my message to anyone who is faced with amputation is to make peace with the situation and accept that life has no guarantees. At 41, I am young, and I am still going to live my life to the fullest,” Petros says.

“It took a lot of hard work and dedication to reach this point, but I would recommend this kind of intensive, multidisciplinary therapy for anyone faced with a similar situation. It was all worthwhile to be home now with my wife and our daughter – they mean everything to me.”