This is Maddie, 17, not long after a car crash caused a fracture to her T12 vertebra. The doctors stabilized it with rods and pins and told her she needed to wear the brace for at least six weeks. The accident happened while merging on a highway in heavy rain… the car hydroplaned and crashed. At this stage she also needed a walker to help her get around.
Understandably, wearing a brace can make one self-conscious, so when Maddie’s friend Sarah proposed steampunking the brace she loved the idea and they got to work.
Linda C., Maddie’s mother, mentioned “Sarah, the design mastermind, also does set design for our theater group, and helped with sets for a steampunk version of ‘A Christmas Carol.'” Sarah and Maddie both share the love of steampunk, and as you can see it turned out gorgeous!
It took Maddie and Sarah about 5 hours to turn the original into what you see now. Maddie is happy with the results and says it makes her feel more confident. Instead of people just staring, they come up with interest and ask why she has to wear it.
But she won’t have to wear it for long, as she is recovering well and is already able to go without it for a few hours a day. The girls will have to think of a new project!
