"The look has changed since the possibility of customizing" - Meeting with Samou
U-EXIST: Hello Samou, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Samou: My name is Samou, I am 30 years old, I live in the Paris area with my wife and our child and I work in a toy library. I became disabled at the age of 21 in 2013, a life accident. I have been wearing a hearing aid since that day. I am a bi-lateral amputee of the lower limbs.
"I don't have a leg, so I'm not going to pretend I do."
UE: How did you discover U-Exist?
S: I discovered U-Exist through my prosthetist. At first he offered me foam aesthetics that are supposed to look like real legs. I always hated it because I don't think I have a leg so I'm not going to pretend I do. I really like originality and what's a little flashier, so he started telling me about U-Exist. Since then I've been getting everything from you! Since I have two dentures, I have twice as many choices. Sometimes I can tell them apart, sometimes not.
EU: Have you always been able to tolerate your prostheses?
S: At first it was very painful because the material was quite rough and it ruined my pants, but the manufacturing has improved, so now I can handle them well. I'm lucky because I don't have any phantom limb pain, I've always been able to wear my prostheses regularly from morning to night.
EU: Do you consider your prosthesis as a means of expression?
S: Yes, I never understood that before for people who get tattoos for example. I didn't understand the need to show something on your body. Now I know that it allows me to assume my difference and to proudly claim it through the prosthesis. I don't hide them, I often wear shorts, you can see them.
EU: What do you get back?
S: I work with children and for them it's less intimidating to have nice designed prostheses than smooth ones. I would say that their first reaction is curiosity, they want to see and touch but they hesitate to do so. It's very intriguing for them and it doesn't go away with time. Some of them see me every day and ask me again 6 months or 1 year later if I still have my prostheses. I have to explain to them that yes, legs don't grow back, and that still amazes them. They wonder how it works, they have questions about my daily life, they want to know how I shower etc...
"The look has changed since the ability to customize"
EU: What about people's opinions in general?
S: At the beginning it's very destabilizing because it arouses curiosity, there are a lot of looks. People ask questions but are relatively cool about it.
The look has changed since the possibility of customizing. You wear your prosthesis differently, you become an actor in it. I can also see this in relation to my loved ones, I am always very proud to show them the design I have chosen. However, I am a man and I have no idea how this is experienced by women in general. I have a friend for whom it was very complicated to wear dresses and skirts, today she has finally passed this stage.
"Getting a new prosthesis is like getting a new piece of clothing."
EU: How do your relatives react when you show them your new prostheses?
S: Already they never understand why I have a new prosthesis. Sometimes I change the prosthesis, sometimes the socket... the one on the left I change less often than the one on the right etc., so each time they are confused and ask me why all these regular changes. But overall it is always well received, they give me their opinions. In fact it's like having a new piece of clothing. What's great about U-exist is that you have a lot of choice, there are also a lot of designs for kids, I think it's great. I go to your site every time I need to make them again.
EU: Do you play sports?
S: Yes, I think that sport is important when you become disabled. I used to do some but much less, it was more of a dilettante. I started by doing wheelchair basketball, then I started sitting volleyball in 2019. It's going great, I'm on the French team, we hope to make the 2024 Paralympics.
EU: What did it change in your life to discover this sport?
S: This sport has literally changed my life. First of all, it is the only sport I do without equipment because I always wanted to do a sport without prosthesis. I love wearing them but it's more about my relationship with my body, I wanted to know what I could do without external help.
At the beginning it is a lot of upheaval and it takes time to adapt, the organization is not the same. We sit on the floor and we move by the strength of our arms. I really like it, the goal of the Paralympics is great and I met a lot of incredible people. I had no doubt about it but it is even better than I could have imagined.
EU: What do you think about Handisport today?
S: Frankly, it's getting better and better. In 2020 we could follow almost all the handisports on the website of France TV, which was not possible before. There is better, some sports are more and more recognized, after that it is like everything, we must continue to fight.
With the association I am part of, we opened a wheelchair basketball section in the city where I am in Fontenay-sous-Bois.
EU: Can you tell us more about your association?
S: The association is called the Collectif SolidaireIt was created when I became disabled. It is a friend of mine and other people close to me who created it to support me and my family, but also to raise awareness about disability. At the time, we knew nothing about this field, so we thought that we should not be the only ones. Today we do interventions in the city, we propose awareness activities, we are invited to music festivals, we intervene in schools... for me, the most important thing is that it goes through the children.
The Solid'ere Collective:
Facebook : Solid'ère Collective
Instagram : collective_solidere