West Plains, MO. – A former teacher recently received a very special prosthetic leg from the Project Lead The Way 7th & 8th grade class at Fairview R-XI.
Lesa Hall was a teacher for 17 years and taught at Fairview and Richards schools in the West Plains area. Lesa is a diabetic and had to have her left leg amputated below the knee after an infection set in following a foot injury. While her insurance covers a normal prosthetic leg, the prosthetic cannot be used in the shower without being thoroughly cleaned each time. Lesa needed a waterproof prosthetic, called a “shower leg”, to be able to shower normally.
Enter Kim Wilson. Kim has taught at Fairview for 24 years and is the teacher for Project Lead the Way. Hearing of Lesa’s plight, she and her two Project classes decided to help out. Using a photo of a prototype shower leg found online, they began constructing a waterproof prosthetic for Lesa on January 20, 2022. In the following months, students drafted plans, took measurements of the leg, and asked experts for advice. The prosthetic was constructed from PVC pipes, 3D printed pieces, and non-slip materials. The leg was completed on April 7, 2022.
Project Lead the Way is a program from the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education that helps to encourage and educate students interested in engineering, medicine, computer sciences, and other STEM-related fields.
Listen to our interview with Lesa Hall here:
