JUSTICE, Ill. — Vikram Choudary doesn’t just talk the talk; he walks the walk with his patients. He accompanies them, including strutting down the red carpet with his clients who have limb loss during the annual fashion show he organizes for them.
People of all ages with prosthetics, from preschoolers to seniors, eagerly anticipate the opportunity to feel beautiful and showcase their beauty. They reside in a society where physical appearance often takes precedence, making this event a chance for them to shine.
As the head of Quantum Prosthetics in Justice, Illinois, Choudary goes above and beyond for his clients. He provides them with more than just mobility, which is transformative in itself. He assures them that he will support them throughout their journey of adapting to limb loss, a promise his clients confirm he keeps.
Miguel recalls the time he had a problem and didn’t know that Choudary was on vacation. Choudary picked up the phone from Dubai and solved Miguel’s discomfort issue.
Born in a small village in India, as a child Choudary witnessed the result of what terror attacks and landmines did to his neighbors. He also observed his surgeon father becoming a folk hero, treating people with compassion when many had few resources to repay him.
Choudary has come to the aid of some clients without insurance or whose insurance had run out. He helps clients fight to get their prosthetics covered, oftentimes when it means battling for years.
Always trying to connect personally with his clients (he says adapting to a prosthetic is 90 percent mental), Choudary encouraged a teenager to design her own prosthetic arm. It gave her both pride and ownership in her electronic arm.
When starting his prosthetic business, his professional goal was to hire employees who suffered limb loss so that clients could relate and feel comfortable.
Jerry is a patient care coordinator who lost his legs when he was pinned between two cars.
He talks about how his challenge and his success as a survivor serve as a comfort to those who are also adapting to living with a prosthetic.