Quadruple Amputation: From Survival to Independence. Kristin’s Journey.

The Hero Arm carried Kristin through the hardest part of her quadruple amputation recovery. As her needs evolved, Hero PRO became the tool that matched her growing independence.

There are moments in rehabilitation that feel like turning points, and for Kristin, who lost all four limbs in 2022 after surviving septic shock during treatment for stage-four lymphoma, one of those moments came recently while watching TV and eating her favorite mints. For the first time in years, she no longer needed anyone’s help.

“I’m sitting here watching my show and eating my mints with my Hero PRO,” she said. “How cool is that?”

Before her amputations, Kristin was the center of gravity in her busy Colorado home. She cared for her husband, who is wheelchair-bound, supported her aging father-in-law, and raised her teenage daughter. She also worked full-time supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, picked up shifts at the Rockies stadium, and drove for Uber and Lyft.

“I was the caretaker of this whole crew,” she said. “ Then all of a sudden I was the one everyone had to take care of.”

In July 2022, after her second round of chemotherapy, Kristin went septic. She survived, but only after undergoing a quadruple amputation of he right wrist disarticulation, a left above-elbow amputation, and bilateral below-knee amputations. Waking up from surgery meant waking up to a new reality. She now needed help with bathing, dressing, preparing meals, opening doors, getting out of bed, and attending appointments.

“I hate having to ask for help with everything,” she said. “I just want to take care of my husband and myself again.”

When Kristin first came to our clinic in Denver Colorado, her goals included brushing her teeth, opening a refrigerator, and picking up anything she dropped. Her daughter was helping her with everything from getting dressed to bathing to organizing her day, and Kristin was working toward a future where she could once again show up for her family the way she had before. She dreamed of walking on her own, turning a round doorknob, and reaching into her wallet for payment at the grocery store.

Kristin learned about Open Bionics through her sister, who searched online for bionic solutions for quadruple amputees that might help. She watched videos about the Hero Arm and encouraged Kristin to reach out. When Kristin hesitated, not wanting to get her hopes up, her sister filled out an application anyway.

“When I learned what could actually be within my grasp, I was in awe,” Kristin said. “My insurance covered my bionic arm one hundred percent.”

In June 2023, Kristin met with Elise Dreiling, certified prosthetist at our Denver clinic, for her first evaluation. A little over a month later, Kristin was fitted with her Hero Arm. As soon as she put it on, she was able to pick up her phone and begin maneuvering her powered wheelchair.

“I’m already used to it,” Kristin said, using the joystick control to accelerate and reverse the chair. “Look at me go.”

For the next two years, the Hero Arm carried her through the earliest and most demanding stages of recovery, helping her rebuild confidence during a period when every milestone mattered. She wore it constantly and found inventive ways to integrate it into her routines. The adjustable socket let her tighten the fit before moving around the house or loosen it slightly when she sat down to rest, without needing to remove the arm. As she grew stronger, she even began using the Hero Arm to help stabilize her walker or cane while learning to walk with her new lower-limb prostheses. The arm supported transfers, helped with household chores, and allowed her to participate more fully in family life.

“The Hero Arm became part of my world,” she said. “It helped me walk. It helped me hold things. It helped me be more independent.”

As Kristin gained physical strength, she also began to see the parts of her life she was ready to take back. Her Hero Arm played a vital role in mobility, meal preparation, hygiene, and supporting her husband, but she had reached a point where she needed greater wrist movement, more durability, stronger grips, and water resistance – signs she was ready for the next chapter.

She remembers first seeing Hero PRO online and immediately asked Elise about it, most interested in the reinforced fingers, stronger grip, sturdier design, and wrist flexion. When she came in for her next evaluation, she easily controlled the Hero PRO trial kit. The device offered the strength, control, and adaptability she was looking for to support her goals.

“The fingers are definitely more solid,” Kristin said. “The things Hero PRO can do are the things I’ve been wishing for.”

With Hero PRO, Kristin uses wrist flexion and rotation to position utensils naturally and bring food to her mouth more easily. In the kitchen, she can now pull open drawers, pick things up from the floor, and twist open bottles. The 55-pound lifting capacity and durable design help when transferring from her chair to her walker. She can lean down on the palm of the hand to steady herself against a countertop or cane without worry.

The water-resistant design allows Kristin to shower on her own for the first time since 2022, pumping soap, reaching across her body, and washing her hair without having to call someone for help. Around the house, Hero PRO has turned many of her former goals into quiet, everyday wins. She can turn a round doorknob, pull open the refrigerator, and pick up a dropped remote before anyone else notices it fell. She can now work zippers, hook a bionic finger into belt loops, and pull up pants. On days when she needs to don her lower-limb liners, the hand helps hold and guide the material so she can get out of the house sooner.

“All the things that didn’t work as well for me before feel solved with Hero PRO,” she said. “I’m so impressed.”

Outside the home, she is beginning to reclaim moments she once dreamed about. In a checkout line, she can hold her wallet, slide out a card using a precision grip, and tap to pay. Sitting in a restaurant, she no longer has to worry about how she will manage utensils or napkins. She is starting to accompany her husband more often, helping with small parts of his routine, and easing some of the pressure of her daughter’s transition to college.

With Hero PRO, Kristin is taking on the roles that mean the most to her: caregiver, mother, and partner. She is relearning the small rituals she once did without thinking, such as picking up something she has dropped, getting dressed, preparing food, and moving through her home. Her Hero Arm remains part of her walking routine, still attached to her walker, while Hero PRO supports the next chapter of what she can do on her own.

“I love paying it forward,” she said. “If someone out there is like I was, unsure where to start, maybe my story will reach them. Maybe they’ll get to experience independence again too.”

At the end of the day, Kristin looks forward to watching her favorite show and picking up small mints one by one with her new bionic arm.

Everyone’s journey looks different. If you’re interested in learning how the Hero Arm or Hero PRO can support your goals along the way, schedule a free consultation with one of our certified prosthetists today.