Connecticut Woman Shows Off Bionic Leg

A bionic woman lives right here in Connecticut.

She's a bionic woman and she lives right here in Connecticut.

Amy Shopey is walking with the help of the Genium Bionic Prosthetic System. She's the first civilian in Connecticut to benefit from the technology which was initially designed as a more durable option for military amputees.

"To have this brand new technology that actually thinks before I do or it adjusts to me as I'm going," said Shopey. "It actually takes care of me as I'm moving along."

Shopey works for the state D.O.T. and was hurt on the job in 2005 when her foot got caught in an auger belt as she winterized a truck. She lost most of her left leg and also battled back from a life threatening infection. She feared she would never walk again.

"You don't know. There's so many unanswered questions. You think that your life could be over," said Shopey.

She used another prosthesis for years, and said the Genium allows her to do activities she couldn't do before, like walking on uneven surfaces or climbing stairs foot over foot.

On Tuesday morning, she returned to Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in Torrington for adjustments.

"Feel how empty that is? I want you to measure me," Shopey told Jeffrey Murray, her prosthetist.

The Genium costs about $95,000 and is covered by a limited number of insurance companies,  according to Murray. It is designed to function as close to a natural leg as possible and allows patients to immediately change their speed and even go over obstacles rather than walk around them.

"For most patients they're focused so much on the prosthesis that they kind of miss the rest of their life, worried about falling. This new technology is very stable, very safe," said Murray.

Fortunately, Shopey's insurance covered the cost of her new leg. She's still getting used to it and says she's thankful to be able to benefit from the technology.

"My life has been going forward ever since non-stop and for that I'm very thankful for everything and everyone," said Shopey.

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