Ignacio Guerrero is probably the only person who would describe his left foot as “normal.”

For starters, the foot is fake. The left foot he was born with was amputated six years ago as a result of complications from diabetes.

But the fake foot isn’t even a normal prosthetic - it is the most advanced in the country, according to Guerrero’s Topeka prosthetist. Four weeks ago, the Topekan became the first person in Kansas to receive it.

Describing the high-technology foot involves such words as “microprocessor-controlled,” “hydraulic” and “simultaneous adjustments.” It even has a name - élan, a French word meaning “vigorous spirit or enthusiasm.”

But those aren’t the things Guerrero thinks about. In fact, walking is so fluid, so much like his foot before the amputation, Guerrero rarely has to think about his prosthetic at all.

Instead, he is busy trying to get the best seat near the top of the bleachers at his 17-year-old grandson’s football game. Or finding the prime location to bait the biggest catch when the pair go shoreline fishing. Or keeping up with his wife, Donna, while she tears through grocery stores.

Things that, one month ago, Guerrero could barely do even with a cane.

“Now it’s just like I never lost my foot,” he said. “It’s made my life a lot easier.”

THE AMPUTATION

Guerrero, 68, opted to have his foot amputated in 2006 - eight years after he was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. By that point, he had lived a year experiencing excruciating pain every time he walked. His doctor told him the pain was a result of lack of blood supply to his ankle.

“It was like I was stepping on a nail all the time,” he said. “Sometimes, I would crawl to go to the bathroom, or hop around.”

It wasn’t an easy decision to make. Guerrero is very active, and not having a foot would impede him from the activities he loved most.

It completely terrified his wife - worried he would fall and not be able to catch himself.

“When he got his leg amputated, it really crushed me,” Donna Guerrero said, trying to hold back tears.

Ignacio Guerrero used a wheelchair for a while, then upgraded to a prosthetic. The fake foot let him move around more than the wheelchair, but it prevented him from enjoying the walks with his wife or attending football games at Topeka West High School.

“I couldn’t see myself in a wheelchair or a walker all my life,” he said. “I always thought there had to be something better.”

Enter his prosthetist — Tyrone Monroe, with Topeka’s Hanger Clinic, 830 S.W. Lane.

THE éLAN

Monroe identified Guerrero as one of the more active classifications of amputees — his goals, abilities and potential lined up perfectly with what the élan had to offer.

The élan and its accompanying leg use technology that mimics natural movement, allowing the ankle to move up and down to help Guerrero navigate rough terrains, inclines and declines.

“It simulates what our everyday muscles do in our foot,” Monroe said. “It’s a beautiful combination of art and science.”

The foot even has a comfort mode, which with the push of a button allows Guerrero to relax his leg.

The élan ranges in price from $15,000 to $20,000, said Shannon May, Hanger business development manager. Prosthetic feet usually run anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 a piece.

She said Guerrero’s insurance helped pay for the prosthetic, as many carriers do.

Monroe helped craft the foot in the Hanger Clinic and fit it onto Guerrero’s leg in just two weeks.

Guerrero was back in Monroe’s office Thursday for a follow-up. The way he walked, without the slightest hint of a limp, he looked as if he had the élan the whole time.

“It’s like it’s back to normal now,” Donna Guerrero said. “Now he can keep up with me. He can do just about anything.”

Ignacio Guerrero’s advice to anyone who has to have their leg amputated, for whatever reason, is simple.

“Get one,” he said of the élan. “It’ll make your life a lot easier.”

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Aly Van Dyke can be reached at (785) 295-1270 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).