FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – April 19, 2021 – Last summer, Bethany Phillips’ life changed forever after what was supposed to be an enjoyable jet ski ride with her father ended abruptly when they were T-boned by another watercraft on the Poquito Bayou in Shalimar, Fla. Both were seriously injured, with Phillips suffering a broken and dislocated tibia that resulted in a severed peritoneal artery (which cut off blood flow to her left foot), and her dad, James, breaking his pelvis and back.
After 12 surgeries over two months, doctors were unable to salvage Phillips’ leg, resulting in a below-the-knee amputation. She was recently fit with her first prosthetic leg by the team at Hanger Clinic in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where her prosthetist, Ted Graves, CPO, Hanger Clinic Area Manager, has been providing her with custom care.
Northwest Florida journalists recently attended one of Phillips’ prosthetic follow-up appointments to meet her, her family, and Graves, and learn more about the many milestones Phillips has now reached, from walking to class again to starring in her school play and preparing for graduation, and what’s ahead for this determined teenager. The following are some of the resulting news stories:
About Hanger Clinic: Hanger Clinic, a subsidiary of Hanger, Inc. (NYSE: HNGR), owns and operates approximately 800 patient care clinics nationwide, where comprehensive, outcomes-based orthotic and prosthetic care is delivered. Rooted in nearly 160 years of clinical excellence and innovation, the certified clinicians of Hanger Clinic provide compassionate, expert care and customized solutions for all ages, designed to increase the mobility and function of each person we have the honor of serving. For more information on Hanger Clinic, visit www.HangerClinic.com.
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Krisita Burket, Hanger, Inc.
904-239-4627, kburket@hanger.com
Meghan Williams, Hanger, Inc.
512-777-3701, megwilliams@hanger.com