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Backup of the post’s body: Hi again. I wasn’t planning on posting a full update, but honestly… I don’t even know how to process what just happened, and I need to get it out somewhere.
If you didn’t see my original post: quick summary — I lost my leg to cancer at 16, I’m 18 now. Got a high-end bionic prosthetic with help from my mum. My little brother (11M), who’s always been treated as the “special one,” got upset that I had something “cool” and expensive. My mum made me feel guilty for surviving.
Anyway.
Yesterday I came home from work. (I do a few shifts a week at a local café to save for uni.) I had my prosthetic charging in my room, on its dock like I always do — it’s super delicate while charging because the joints are exposed and the internal circuits are vulnerable.
I found my brother in my room.
He had unplugged the charger.
He was trying to “make it move” manually — bending the knee joint, yanking the ankle around to “see if it would walk on its own.” I yelled at him to stop — but it was too late.
The main knee motor made this awful grinding sound and then the whole leg sagged like a broken doll.
He dropped it and ran downstairs crying.
I just stood there holding the pieces.
The leg is dead. Totally dead.
Those things aren’t built for rough handling — they’re expensive, sensitive, custom-built to match my body. It’s not something you can fix at a random shop. It has to go back to the manufacturer. Repairs cost thousands. Even assuming it’s repairable, it’ll take months.
I went to my mum absolutely shattered, thinking at least this she’d take seriously.
She cried, hugged my brother, and said, “He didn’t mean it. He’s just curious.“
Then she told me, “You need to be more understanding. He’s only 11. It’s not like he knew how important it was.“
I honestly don’t remember much after that. I just felt myself shutting down.
No apology. No promise to help fix it. No acknowledgment that without that leg, I can’t walk more than a few meters without pain. That I can’t go to work. That I can’t go to uni like this. That I’m being dragged back to being helpless because a kid wanted to play with my body.
The final blow? She said:
>
It was in my room. Charging. In my private space.
Now I’m trapped.
I can’t afford repairs on my own. The grant money is long gone. Insurance might cover some of it — maybe — but the deductible is massive.
And my mum made it very, very clear she won’t be helping again.
I don’t even know what to do. I feel invisible. Disposable. Like the only acceptable version of me is the one who quietly disappears into the background so her “sunbeam” can shine.
I survived cancer. I lost my leg. I fought to be able to stand on my own again. And now it’s broken because an 11-year-old thought it looked fun, and no one cares.
There is a new update. Her dad came and got her and she’s living with him now. Her sounds like she has gone no contact with her mom and brother and her dad is helping her get her leg repaired.
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Backup of the post’s body: Hi again. I wasn’t planning on posting a full update, but honestly… I don’t even know how to process what just happened, and I need to get it out somewhere.
If you didn’t see my original post: quick summary — I lost my leg to cancer at 16, I’m 18 now. Got a high-end bionic prosthetic with help from my mum. My little brother (11M), who’s always been treated as the “special one,” got upset that I had something “cool” and expensive. My mum made me feel guilty for surviving.
Anyway.
Yesterday I came home from work. (I do a few shifts a week at a local café to save for uni.) I had my prosthetic charging in my room, on its dock like I always do — it’s super delicate while charging because the joints are exposed and the internal circuits are vulnerable.
I found my brother in my room.
He had unplugged the charger.
He was trying to “make it move” manually — bending the knee joint, yanking the ankle around to “see if it would walk on its own.” I yelled at him to stop — but it was too late.
The main knee motor made this awful grinding sound and then the whole leg sagged like a broken doll.
He dropped it and ran downstairs crying.
I just stood there holding the pieces.
The leg is dead. Totally dead.
Those things aren’t built for rough handling — they’re expensive, sensitive, custom-built to match my body. It’s not something you can fix at a random shop. It has to go back to the manufacturer. Repairs cost thousands. Even assuming it’s repairable, it’ll take months.
I went to my mum absolutely shattered, thinking at least this she’d take seriously.
She cried, hugged my brother, and said, “He didn’t mean it. He’s just curious.“
Then she told me, “You need to be more understanding. He’s only 11. It’s not like he knew how important it was.“
I honestly don’t remember much after that. I just felt myself shutting down.
No apology. No promise to help fix it. No acknowledgment that without that leg, I can’t walk more than a few meters without pain. That I can’t go to work. That I can’t go to uni like this. That I’m being dragged back to being helpless because a kid wanted to play with my body.
The final blow? She said:
>
It was in my room. Charging. In my private space.
Now I’m trapped.
I can’t afford repairs on my own. The grant money is long gone. Insurance might cover some of it — maybe — but the deductible is massive.
And my mum made it very, very clear she won’t be helping again.
I don’t even know what to do. I feel invisible. Disposable. Like the only acceptable version of me is the one who quietly disappears into the background so her “sunbeam” can shine.
I survived cancer. I lost my leg. I fought to be able to stand on my own again. And now it’s broken because an 11-year-old thought it looked fun, and no one cares.
So, I guess that’s my update.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
I would be pissed
I think there’s been another update where she went to like with her dad, and he’s working to take out loans to get the leg repaired.
There is a new update. Her dad came and got her and she’s living with him now. Her sounds like she has gone no contact with her mom and brother and her dad is helping her get her leg repaired.
OOP’s mom and brother are awful humans.