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NAGA Article on Terry Collett

Terry Collett is an 10 year old amputee golfer who was introduced to golf at the 2004 Amputee Tournament Players (TPC) Championship. The following article was written Cathy Druin, Terry's mother. This article (with pictures) was submitted to the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA) for inclusion in their 2005 annual magazine.

Young Amputee Golfer gets his start in Kentucky ...

By Cathy Druin (Terry's Mom),

Terry Collett was born on October 2, 1994, weighing 7 lbs, 13½ oz. After birth, the doctors noticed that Terry's right leg was short. They took him to another room for further examination and I was not allowed to see Terry. After about one hour, a doctor came and told me that one of Terry's legs was shorter than the other and they did not know why. He asked me if I was going to be okay with his deformity and I said "Yes, please let me see my son". They brought Terry to me and he was so beautiful. He was perfect to me.

About a month or two later, I took him to his first specialist to find out why he was born this way and if they could fix his leg. After many x-rays and visits to the office, they could not tell me why or what was wrong with Terry. I decided to go to another specialist, Sheri Gabriel, and finally was told that Terry had PFFD (Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency). It is a congenital anomaly of the pelvic and proximal femur which causes hip deformity and shortening and altered function of the involved lower extremity. For several years Terry was treated with shoe lifts to balance him.

At the age of four, Ms. Gabriel suggested that due to Terry's femur not getting any longer and his shoe lift was now at seven inches, we needed to take the next step for Terry. She explained to me that surgery to correct his leg length discrepancy, if indeed his growth is projected to be greater than 20 cm, would be more along the lines of prosthetic fitting rather than limb lengthening.

Due to the type of medical insurance I had, I could not afford to do this type of surgery. I was then referred to Shriner's Hospital for Children in Lexington, Kentucky. They told me what needed to be done for Terry and how the surgery would make Terry's life a lot better. Making the decision to have my son's leg amputated was the hardest decision I have ever had to make, but I knew it would be better for Terry in later years.

Terry's leg was amputated on May 4, 2000. Since Terry did not have much of a femur or a stable knee, they removed his knee and fused the bottom limb to the femur and removed his foot to make one limb.

The surgery was a success. He came back from surgery in a full body cast which he wore for six weeks. Those six weeks were very emotional. Neither Terry nor I knew what his leg looked like. He asked many questions; "Will I have a foot?"; "Will I be able to walk?"; and also "Will I still be able to ride my bike?". Terry loves to ride his bike. I kept trying to encourage him that he would be able to do a lot more things than before, but I had doubts and worries going through my head as well.

The day came when they removed his cast. It was a scary day. Neither one of us knew what to expect. Once they removed his cast, he looked at his leg and asked "Where is my foot?". He cried for quite some time. I just held him and kept telling him that it was going to be okay, and that once he got his prosthesis he will see that things will get better. The doctors at Shriners were very supportive and encouraged Terry that it would get better. Wayne Cottle, Director of Orthotics and Prosthetics, called Terry a few times before the day came that he was fitted for his prosthesis to see how his spirits were. Mr. Cottle is wonderful. He is great with children and Terry feels very comfortable with Mr. Cottle.

Terry's leg was ready and we were told that we needed to stay at Shriners Hospital for one week because that was the time it took to get adjusted to the leg. We went to the hospital and Terry was excited and scared. His brother, Casey, came with us. We were all nervous. Mr. Cottle brought out Terry's leg and showed him how to put it on. He then told Terry to try and take a few steps. Terry was crying and scared and Casey and I were crying too. After a day, Terry started getting used to the leg and was walking without help. Everyone at the hospital was amazed at how fast he adjusted to the leg and we went home in three days.

Once we got home, we had a time of adjustment and Terry went through some depression. Everyone was looking at him and he didn't like that. He went through a time that he hated me. He would say, "I hate you because you had them cut off my leg". That was hard for me, but I told him it would get better and he wouldn't be mad at me forever.

He had a lot of support through family and friends and the doctors at Shriners Hospital and as time passed, he became more positive. Probably the best day he had after getting his new leg was when he rode his bike. He had a smile from ear to ear. He told me that day that he thought he would be okay. I cried, gave him a big hug, and told him that he would be able to do whatever he wants if he just believes.

Terry now lives a very happy life of a ten year old boy. He always gives things a try and is determined that he will not be any different than any other kid. Terry Collett is brave and I love him very much.

Terry was introduced to golf through a friend of mine at work, Mabel Sebastian. She told us about the 2004 Amputee Tournament Players Championship in Shelbyville. I asked Terry if he would like to go, and he was so excited that it even existed. We went to the tournament and now he loves golf.

Note from Amputee Golf Charities: Terry came to our tournament and talked to the players, shared leg stories, rode around the course in a golf cart and hit golf balls for the first time. He was "hooked" and informed all of his friends that "he was going to be a golfer". We plan to follow Terry, keep him involved in golf and help him in any way we can. Thanks to the generosity of others, Terry has his first set of junior clubs and a series of lessons to get him started. He played in his first scramble outing (with local amputee player participation) in September and had a wonderful time with his mother, brother and grandparents cheering him on and witnessing Terry's ability to play a game that he can enjoy and take with him throughout his life. He played all eighteen holes and was very tired but never gave a thought to quitting. Terry has made many new friends through his short time with amputee golfing and has made a great impact on our lives as well. Terry truly is an inspiration to us all and a perfect example of "Never Quit".

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