Baby Girl Born With Both Legs Bent Backwards Finally Takes Her First Steps After Life-Changing Surgery

When Marzena Drusewicz and Dariusz Komada welcomed their daughter Victoria into the world, they immediately discovered that something was different about her tiny legs.

Both of Victoria’s legs were severely malformed and bent backwards. She had been born with bilateral tibial hemimelia, an exceptionally rare congenital condition involving missing or underdeveloped shinbones.

As their daughter grew, her parents faced a heartbreaking possibility: doctors believed removing both legs might be the most practical treatment option.

But Marzena and Dariusz continued searching for another way to give Victoria the opportunity to walk.

A Rare Condition Discovered at Birth

Victoria was born in Norwich, England, to Polish parents. Her mother’s pregnancy scans had not revealed the severity of her condition, so the appearance of her legs came as an unexpected shock.

In Victoria’s case, the bones and surrounding structures in both lower limbs had not developed normally.

Her legs bent backwards, making ordinary standing and walking impossible.

As she grew older, Victoria learned to move around using her knees, with her lower legs extending behind her.

She could not enjoy some of the everyday activities other children her age were beginning to discover.

For her parents, watching their daughter struggle was painful. They wanted her to have the freedom to explore, play and eventually walk alongside other children.

Her Parents Were Told She Might Lose Both Legs

After medical examinations, the family was advised that a double amputation could be the most appropriate way to manage Victoria’s severe deformities.

Marzena and Dariusz struggled with the recommendation and continued researching specialist treatment options.

Their search eventually led them to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dror Paley in Florida, United States, who specialized in complex limb reconstruction.

After reviewing Victoria’s condition, Dr. Paley proposed a different treatment plan.

He believed her left leg could be reconstructed and preserved. However, the structures in her right leg were too severely affected to offer a good functional result through reconstruction.

The plan therefore involved saving her left leg while amputating the right and fitting her with a prosthetic limb.

It was not the outcome her parents had originally imagined, but it offered Victoria a realistic opportunity to walk.

Strangers Helped Raise £180,000 for Her Treatment

Specialized surgery overseas came with an enormous financial burden.

Victoria’s family, friends and supporters in Norwich and Poland launched a fundraising effort to help pay for her treatment.

Through their combined generosity, approximately £180,000 was raised.

In 2018, Victoria and her parents traveled to Florida to begin the complex medical journey.

Her first major operation took place in July.

Surgeons amputated her right leg and began reconstructing her left leg using a specialized external fixation device designed to gradually correct its position.

The treatment required careful adjustments, further surgery and months of rehabilitation.

For Victoria, the recovery was difficult and sometimes extremely painful.

Her parents remained beside her as she slowly adapted to the changes in her body and learned to use her prosthetic leg.

The Moment She Asked Her Mother to Watch Her Walk

In November 2018, Victoria underwent another operation to strengthen the reconstruction of her left leg.

Just two days later, she began taking steps with the assistance of her prosthetic limb.

After years of uncertainty, her parents were finally witnessing something they had once feared might never happen.

One especially emotional moment came when Victoria asked her mother if she could show her something.

Then the little girl demonstrated her newfound ability to walk.

Marzena later recalled that she and her family cried with happiness when they saw Victoria taking her first steps.

The moment was about far more than walking. It represented years of searching, the generosity of strangers and a long recovery that their daughter had worked incredibly hard to complete.

From Her First Steps to Dreams of Gymnastics

After approximately nine months of treatment in Florida, Victoria and her family returned to England in April 2019.

By then, she was able to walk, run and participate in activities that had previously been difficult or impossible.

Her journey did not end there. As Victoria continued growing, her reconstructed left leg required further medical attention.

In a June 2023 report by ITV News, Victoria, then seven years old, was preparing for additional treatment after her left leg had begun twisting again.

But she was also looking forward to ordinary childhood experiences, including riding her bicycle, playing with friends and pursuing her dream of becoming a gymnast.

For her parents, every step remained meaningful.

They had once watched their little girl move around on her knees because her legs could not support her in the usual way.

Now, they could watch her make plans for a future filled with movement, play and possibility.

Victoria’s story is not about having a perfect body. It is about a child finding her own way forward, a family refusing to stop searching for help, and the people whose kindness helped make her first steps possible.

Sources: ITV News Anglia, “Norwich girl able to walk after pioneering surgery in America,” April 20, 2019; ITV News Anglia, “Seven-year-old amputee dreaming of becoming gymnast after surgery to save her leg,” June 17, 2023; Inside Edition, “Toddler Born With Backward Legs Can Now Walk,” May 2019.