"Writing books saved me" | Meeting with Anne-Sophie

Hello Anne-Sophie. Can you tell us about your story?

I had an accident when I was 23, 14 years ago, and I had to make the choice to amputate. I was living in Paris at that time, I studied visual communication there, then I worked several years as a graphic designer in an agency. I left Paris in 2016 to go on a road-trip with my partner, as our jobs allowed us to work remotely. In total, we did a year and a half backpacking. We started to visit family and friends who lived abroad, then we bought a truck and lived in it for almost 5 months. When we came back to France, we decided to leave Paris and to settle in the Loire region with our children, in the old house of my partner's parents that we are renovating. 

What was the most important part of this trip?

We spent a month in Costa Rica to join some friends who lived there and I had my first surfing experience there. It was a little challenge for me because I had never surfed before. I took lessons, the place was ideal for surfing, there were small rollers. The experience was quite magical... Being able to stand on the board gave me a lot of emotions. 

How did you discover prosthesis customization?

When I was amputated 14 years ago, customization simply did not exist. Little by little, I decided to stop dressing my prostheses with the foam coating and to leave them raw in black carbon, which I found more attractive. I finally accepted to wear a prosthesis, and turned it into a creative space by adding color with my Posca. A few years later, my prosthetist suggested U-Exist and I thought it was a great idea. For my very first denture with you 5 years ago, I made my own design with the U-Adapt service. Now I use U-Exist for every new prosthesis and a friend of mine, whose work I really like, makes the designs for me.

"I love showing off my prosthesis."

What did it change for you? 

Today I love to show my prosthesis, I even look forward to the summer so that it can be visible. I wasn't a big fan of tattoos at first, but in the end it's as if it were one. I change my designs with each prosthesis and I love the concept. Around me, a lot of people find it hard to show their prosthesis and get over it. We won't lie to ourselves, it's quite a journey to get there. But once you decide to assume your handicap and to make it a strength, once you have the possibility to have a beautiful prosthesis that you have chosen... it's great, and it ends up being part of your identity. 

And the look of the others?

I think it's a good hook for people who are a bit shy, awkward... a lot of kids especially are quite curious, want to touch, understand. I really have the feeling that the way people look at it has changed. People are more at ease, they know better how to approach things. 

"There is more communication around disability today."

Do you notice a change in the way people look at disability in general?

Yes, I have the impression that things are moving. The fact of having a disability is more and more put forward, people are less shy, at least that's what I try to tell myself anyway. I have the impression that there is more communication around disability, more and more sportsmen or artists who illustrate themselves, dare to put themselves forward... the Paralympic Games are broadcasted on the big TV channels for example. It allows to raise public awareness and it's great.

"I wrote books and it saved me."

How do you look back on what you experienced?

I could have gone under but I wrote books and that saved me. I had nothing to do during my hospitalization so I started writing and drawing everything that happened in my day. It kept me busy at first, then it became a real therapy that lasted 2 years. I wrote and drew 20 notebooks in total. At the beginning it was more like a diary, I didn't really intend that it be read by other people. Then I showed them to my parents and saw the effect it had on them. It allowed us to discuss it at length, to play down the situation. They advised me to publish them, so I published the first one in 2019. Today, volumes 1 and 2 are available for sale on my website: https: //histoiredunpied.com 

STORY OF A FOOT 

Website: www.histoiredunpied.com
Instagram: @anneso.illustrator