After a tragic lawn mower accident in 2014, Tyler Collier lost his right hand and one of his feet. Luckily, doctors in his native Texas were able reattach his hand, although they could not save his thumb. Through the miracle of modern medicine, doctors removed a toe from his good foot to create a thumb for his hand.
Now, Tyler can get around much easier and can play sports with the other kids his age. He loves to ride horses and shows them in competitions. He is a curious and inquisitive seven year old, who has a love of school and animals. His Occupational Therapist Lauren said, “Tyler has made amazing progress with functional use of his right hand. He zips his coat,buttons and unbuttons his shirt all by himself! He is working on learning to tie his shoes and cannot wait to play outside this summer!”
Tyler has had multiple surgeries at Shriners Hospitals for Children – St. Louis as well as fittings for prognostics and orthotics and physical and occupational therapy. This past year he attended Hand Camp, where he gained confidence in himself by meeting other Shriners Hospitals for Children patients with similar conditions. Tyler’s prosthetist Anisah said, “He has had to overcome a lot for such a young guy and he has done amazing. If you didn’t already know about his injuries, you wouldn’t notice that he uses a prosthetic brace to walk. He is a happy-go-lucky kid that brightens my day up each time I see him.”