8-year-old injured in lawn mowing accident plays football after finding perfect prosthetic fit

AUSTIN, Texas - Like many eight-year-old boys, Jeremiah Canady loves playing flag football. But he’s gone through more than most kids his age in order to even be able to participate.

Jeremiah was just three years old when he was injured in a lawn mowing accident. He had been on a riding lawn mower with his dad.

"He got off to go play and his dad started mowing again and didn’t see him behind him when he was backing up," said mother Myquesha Canady.

Jeremiah’s foot was severed by the blade. 

"He kept getting infections, so they started only amputating toes and then the foot and then higher up and then, eventually, they were like, ‘We want to make sure that infection doesn’t come back, and it doesn’t keep spreading, so we’re going to have to go to the healthiest tissue and amputate there,’" she said. 

It was in the hospital that Jeremiah and his family met Brittany Jones, an orthotist and prosthetic at Hangar Clinic. 

"I was the clinician on call when he had his accident," said Brittany Jones, who also manages one of the Hangar clinics.

As an amputee herself, she has guided the family through the last five years.

"I grew up a patient in many ways along the way, both with bracing and prosthetic legs, and that certainly exposed me to the field and got me interested," she said. 

And after years of trying different prosthetics, this summer they were able to find the perfect prosthetic fit for Jeremiah.

"He has always experienced some kind of discomfort," said Canaday. "It’s very emotionally and mentally rewarding to see him finally be comfortable." 

To learn more about the Hangar Clinic, click here.