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Toddler Takes 1st Steps on New Legs

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Palm Harbor Patch
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Toddlers usually are wary of prostheses, and the 2-year-old Pinellas child had been waiting for five hours. So when Ireland Nugent got the chance to try out her prosthetic legs, she forged ahead like a trouper, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Family, friends and caregivers held their breath until they saw Ireland's spunky attitude and then applauded.  When the prosthetist wanted to take her test legs off, Ireland insisted on keeping them.

The child lost both lower legs and feet in April when her father accidentally ran over her on a riding mower.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.