Toddler Amputee Turned Into Storybook SuperHero

"He's the hardest working 2-year-old"
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Editor

A 2-year-old who lost his limbs due to a bacterial infection has been immortalized as a storybook superhero with magic legs.

Ethan Faria’s story of perseverance inspired the book, titled “Marley & Maverick Find Ethan’s Magic Legs,” according to the CBC.

“He’s the hardest working 2-year-old I’ve ever met,” said his physiotherapist Lisa Engle.

You can order the book here.

In July 2015, Ehtan was diagnosed with haemophilus inflenzae type b, an infection that quickly spread across his body. Ethan’s legs then had to be amputated below the knees. Part of his right arm was also amputated, as well as his left thumb and pointer finger.

Ethan’s mother, Rachel Faria, called the ordeal “horrifying,” adding that her “happy” and “rambunctious” son almost didn’t make it. Ethan spent 10 weeks in a Toronto children’s hospital and was soon after fitted for a pair of prosthetic legs, which Faria calls his “magic legs.”

Faira said the family was “overwhelmed” that their son, who they almost lost, is now the subject of such a positive message. Faria hopes it earns a spot on the shelf of libraries all over the week, she said.

“Thank God he’s [doing] amazing,” she said, calling him a “typical” 2-ear-old when a constant “smile on his face.”

Faria’s friend Felicia Pizzonia, a publisher, contracted children’s book author Karl Ward of the Molly and Maverick series to write the book after Ethan was released from the hospital. Ward then wrote a story about the pair wishing for a pair of magic legs so that Ethan could participate in activities such as playing ball or going skiing.

More than a year after the “terrifying” ordeal, the Faria family was celebrating Ethan’s life instead — at a book launch party in downtown Toronto.

Faria said she hopes Ethan’s story will spread hope to other children with disabilities, especially those who are missing limbs.

(h/t CBC)