Brazilian women launch fundraisers for prosthetic limbs

Two women in Brazil are launching fundraising campaigns to secure prosthetic limbs following life-altering medical circumstances.

In Indaiatuba, São Paulo, 48-year-old Alainá Alves Gusmão is seeking resources for a new prosthesis. Following a motorcycle accident in 2014 that resulted in the amputation of her right leg below the knee, her current municipal prosthesis no longer fits properly, causing pain and skin wounds that hinder her mobility.

In Criciúma, Santa Catarina, 36-year-old Aline Araújo de Oliveira is seeking R$ 40,000 for a prosthesis. Her condition arose after a foot injury led to a severe infection of necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as ‘flesh-eating bacteria’. After undergoing nine surgeries and battling sepsis, doctors amputated part of her left leg to save her life.