Famous People with Amputations

Health concerns and life-changing surgeries aren’t just for the poor or inherently sick. Even those who are well-to-do can go through a sudden shift or unexpected accident and find themselves in a position where all the money in the world won’t help them.

Heather Mills

A bad traffic accident, a long fall, protracted illness or deeply rooted infections are all causes which commonly lead to serious injury and amputations among those who suffer from them.

Let’s take a look at prominent cases involving famous people who went through amputations over health concerns. It will quickly become clear that riches do not necessarily translate to rich health.

List of Famous Amputees

While Ted Kennedy Jr. might not be as well known as other relatives from his family, he’s a good example of how even famous, wealthy people can end up on an operating table for an amputation. In 1973, a certain type of cancer was discovered within his right leg.

The entire limb was amputated. It goes without saying that the cancer treatments of today are less invasive and more successful than those of the past. However, particularly aggressive or late-stage cancer may still elicit amputation when faced in the present. All cases must be judged on their own merits.

It seems like that particular case could be attributed to limited medical science of the time. A more recent example involves Aimee Mullins (pictured below), who was born without fibula bones in her legs due to a birth defect. She was born in 1976 and lost her legs only a year later.

Oscar Pistorius

Though she’s come far since then as an actress, athlete and model. Her story, though, is a reminder that even with the best health care available, things outside of our control will still happen. Some of them can be pretty debilitating, yet some people like Mullins has risen to the challenge of overcoming many obstacles on her successful career.

Brett Smrz was a perfectly healthy person back in 2007 when he started driving in the SCAA series in San Francisco. Literally within a week of the time he became a professional driver, he was temporarily taken out by an off-track accident which led to losing his left leg just below the knee.

While thinking about what horrific pain he must have gone through is fairly morbid, it’s important to remember that even today, with all the advances in modern medical science, sometimes limbs cannot be saved. Smrz has continued to win races, perform stunts and act.

Oscar Pistorius (pictured above) was only 11 months old when both his legs were amputated below the knee. Pistorius, with his prosthetic “ski legs” has come along to become a world famous track and field star.

Aimee Mullins

Heather Mills (pictured at top), ex-wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, collided with a police officer on a motorcycle. Because of this accident, Mills lost her left leg below the knee. In 2007, Mills performed on TV show Dancing with the Stars proving that disabled people can do some amazing feats.

The above examples of famous amputees show that we are all spiritual beings inside of human bodies and sometimes our bodies will need to be altered in order to save our own lives.