CHESAPEAKE, Ohio Ƶ Emily Tackett smiles slyly as she says, ƵI have 13 legs.Ƶ
She does. Or at least has. Emily, 14, was born without her right femur, a condition known as proximal femoral focal deficiency. The malady is present in roughly 1 in every 200,000 births. The condition, however, hasnƵt stopped the Chesapeake High School freshman from being a Panthers cheerleader.
Emily has a 3D-printed prosthetic leg made of titanium, plastic, carbon fiber and rubber. She joins her squad on the football field and basketball court at every game, performing like the other girls.
ƵI canƵt really tumble,Ƶ Emily says. ƵThatƵs not my strength. I wish I could tumble and run, play regular sports. I can do jumps and splits. I can ride a bicycle and I can skate with my crutches. Still, itƵs fun to cheer.Ƶ
The journey from infant to cheerleader has been different. Emily underwent surgery and physical therapy but had to learn to walk mostly on her own, which she did by age 3½. Ƶ she has grown, new prosthetic legs have been necessary. More will be needed as she grows from her current height of 4-foot-11½. She says she averages one leg per year unless she hits a growth spurt. One leg lasted just two months before she went back for another.
Emily has played softball and performed dance. Two years ago, she decided to try cheering.
ƵWe told her coach not to choose her because of her disability,Ƶ says Kathy Tackett, EmilyƵs mom and an aide at Chesapeake Middle School. ƵWe didnƵt want her picked for the team over a kid who was more deserving. We told her to treat Emily like any other kid.Ƶ
Bubbly, vibrant and enthusiastic, Emily embodies cheerleader qualities. She supports the Panthers as vigorously as any of the other girls on the squad. Her teammates have noticed.
ƵSheƵs a great cheerleader and student,Ƶ fellow cheerleader Faith Fletcher says of Emily. ƵShe is just like every other Panther, full of love and spirit!Ƶ
Taylor Hicks has experienced Emily as a cheer teammate, as well as a girls basketball player for whom Emily cheers. ƵDespite her challenges she has pushed forward to live a typical teenage girl life,Ƶ Chesapeake cheerleader Taylor says. ƵShe shows courage that inspires others to do the same.Ƶ
Emily also inspires her dad, Calvin, and sisters Ƶhley and Breanna. Ƶhley, a senior who signed to play softball at the University of Charleston, says she and her family marvel at how independent Emily has become.
ƵWhen she was little we helped her a lot,Ƶ Ƶhley says. ƵNow, she wants to do things on her own.Ƶ
Emily admits, however, her first time on the field was scary. She wasnƵt sure how she would perform or be received. Now, she looks back and laughs at her anxiety that day. Her greatest fear wasnƵt for herself.
ƵI was afraid my leg would fly off and hit somebody,Ƶ Emily says, with a laugh. ƵI was thinking, ƵOh goodness.Ƶ I still worry about that.Ƶ
She has options as to which leg to wear. The shin/foot area has interchangeable parts. Emily wears a blade-like prosthetic for cheering because itƵs lighter and more springy. She also has a part that is more like a regular foot for everyday use.
At school, Emily sometimes uses a wheelchair to ease pain and wear and tear on her hip area where the leg connects. She says other students are supportive of her, treating her as any other kid and helping her if she needs something. Ƶhley jokes, ƵI push her around.Ƶ
Chesapeake showed its love for the late Tanner Harr, a Panthers basketball standout who died July 31 from cancer that began in his knee. Emily says she admired TannerƵs fight and attitude, adding that sheƵs thankful for her classmatesƵ compassion. One of her bigger supporters was TannerƵs best friend, Karli Davis, a former Chesapeake volleyball star now playing at West Virginia State University.
ƵKarliƵs great,Ƶ Emily says. ƵThe kids are so accepting at Chesapeake. TheyƵll hold the door for me or if I canƵt get somewhere to turn something in, they take it for me.Ƶ
Kathy and Ƶhley say such behavior isnƵt unusual at Chesapeake, where students with physical or mental challenges are accepted.
ƵEven in the cafeteria, the kids interact with them and sit with them,Ƶ Ƶhley says. ƵThe football players and basketball players sit with them. No one sits alone.Ƶ
Emily says sheƵs also thankful for the support sheƵs received from her church family at First Baptist of Chesapeake, as well as the Shriners. Emily has made many trips to the Shriners hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, to be fitted for new legs. Her doctor is Chris Burke, who has a prosthetic leg below the knee.
ƵIf not for the Shriners, we couldnƵt afford it,Ƶ Kathy says. ƵEach leg costs about $15,000.Ƶ
Emily says that occasionally she hears a rude comment from someone, usually an adult rather than a kid. She says such incidents used to bother her, but now she ignores them. She and her family even have fun with her leg. Emily dressed as a pirate for trick-or-treat one year.
ƵA woman saw me and said, ƵLook at the little pirate! She even has a peg leg,ƵƵ Emily says, adding that she wonders if the woman regretted her comment after thinking on it.
Emily said the other extreme is when people are too sensitive to her situation.
ƵA kid bumped into my leg and was like, ƵOh, IƵm so sorryƵ and was freaking out,Ƶ Emily says. ƵI said it was OK and not to worry about it. I couldnƵt even feel it.Ƶ
Emily says she sometimes draws stares at her favorite place Ƶ the beach.
ƵI donƵt care,Ƶ she says. ƵUsually, IƵll use my crutches on the beach so I donƵt get sand in my leg. IƵll take it off if I swim. Sometimes IƵll get a rock stuck in the bottom and if IƵm walking on tile it makes noise and clinks and I think, ƵOh gosh,Ƶ and we get it out.Ƶ
Emily counts drawing and painting among her hobbies, but says singing is her favorite activity. She has performed during Special Olympics, Veterans Day events and the Shriners Christmas party. She says she would love to sing ƵThe Star-Spangled BannerƵ at a NFL game.
Emily sang Rachel PlattenƵs 2014 hit ƵFight SongƵ during ChesapeakeƵs talent show and left the crowd in tears.
ƵIt had been a hard, emotional year and I had anxiety,Ƶ Emily says. ƵWhen I made it through the song, we were all crying. Teachers were crying. Students were crying.Ƶ
Ƶhley, who Emily says never cries, was bawling.
ƵI had to go get ready for my softball game and I was in the locker room just crying,Ƶ Ƶhley says, laughing at the memory. ƵMy teammates were asking what was wrong.Ƶ
Kathy says she is impressed with EmilyƵs determination.
ƵJust to see her overcome her fears and anxiety to push through and do things she loves in front of people she doesnƵt know is so rewarding,Ƶ Kathy says.
Emily also participates in pageants. Her biggest concern was wearing heels, a requirement in many such events. She handled a 1-inch heel with aplomb.
ƵThatƵs one of the stronger things I do,Ƶ Emily says. ƵThatƵs where IƵm probably most confident, in a pageant on stage.Ƶ
Emily says many people, particularly her family, inspire her. She also says when she was younger she was encouraged by Winter, star of the 2011 movie ƵDolphin Tale.Ƶ Winter was injured and received a prosthetic tail to help her swim again.
The thigh of EmilyƵs prosthetic features a decorative pattern of her choice. She currently has puzzle pieces and says her next leg will show a galaxy theme.
ƵI like showing off my legs,Ƶ Emily says, with a chuckle.
Emily donates her outgrown prosthetics to other children who need them. She does the same with her right shoes and also fundraises for the Shriners.
ƵI want to give back to the people who have helped me so much,Ƶ Emily says. ƵWhen IƵm older, I want to help teach kids who maybe have had an amputation to learn to walk and swim and everything. Even if I have to travel, I want to do that because not many people are available to help in that way. ThatƵs definitely something IƵd be interested in.Ƶ
