Taking life in her stride

Open a suitcase from Erica Tenquist’s cupboard and you are just as likely to be greeted by a limb as you are a seasonal wardrobe. “If you have a prosthetic limb you need to have a spare,” says Erica, who lives at Summerset in the Orchard in Hastings. “And I just happen to have a few spares lying around!” Erica has been an amputee for more than 70 years and has recently written a book about her journey – both to share her story and to show others that life after the loss of a limb doesn’t have to be a setback.

Erica was born with a rare vascular condition that caused her right leg to grow significantly faster than the left. “The doctors said it was ‘a bit scrambled’,” she says. With two main arteries instead of one, the leg was over an inch longer and much heavier, with little muscle tone and a fused ankle. “It was always hot. The other girls would warm their hands on it.”

She spent much of her early childhood at Wellington Hospital, far from her rural home near Masterton. Travel was long and expensive, but necessary for the many treatments she received – including painful radium injections to try and stop the leg’s growth. Despite everything, Erica was determined to stay active. She learned to walk at two, ride a scooter at seven, and later also a bike. But the infections, pain and constant use of painkillers were taking a toll.

At 15, Erica made the momentous decision to have her right leg amputated below the knee. After surgery, she named the stump ‘Cuthbert’ after a character in a children’s book. The name stuck, and Cuthbert has since become a bit of a legend in her circles.

Her first prosthetic leg was made of willow wood – the same wood used for cricket bats. “It was light and strong, but stiff as a board. No ankle joint at all.” Erica had to learn to walk all over again, using dance to help regain her balance. “Rock and roll is perfect –your partner leads. But square dancing is too fast!”

Over the years, prosthetics have evolved dramatically. “Now I’ve got titanium joints – they last longer. I was so active, the metal ones would wear out!” she says. Today’s prosthetic limbs are made from lightweight plastics and even include ankle and toe joints for better movement. Erica has lost count of how many legs she’s had over the years. “Sometimes I got a new one every year. The longest I had one was for 13 years. The limb doesn’t wear out – but the stump changes shape.”

Even though she was a child, it was the Office of War Pensions that paid for the costs associated with the prosthetics. This came with some idiosyncrasies: as she was under 21, Erica was required to have a chaperone every time she went to the limb centre. “Very few other amputees were female.”

Although Erica and her parents knew she was capable of independence, others didn’t always share that sentiment. “Before my leg came off, people assumed I had learning difficulties because I had mobility issues, and they would speak to me like I was stupid.” When relatives suggested she “stay home and mind the kids,” she headed straight to the Wellington Public Library with a recommendation letter from her school. She worked there for over four years – where she met her future husband, John. “He was saucy to me, and I was saucy right back,” she laughs. After marriage, they adopted three children and fostered several more. “At one point I had a three-month-old and a six-month-old at the same time! Not many mothers can say that!”

A lifelong swimmer, Erica continued to live adventurously. She skied for eight years, flew in Alaska, explored the Rockies and Outback, and snorkelled off the Queensland coast – after handing her leg to the boat captain for safekeeping. “A giant wrasse [large fish]swam up to be patted. It was magical.”

Erica is now a peer support volunteer with Peke Waihanga, New Zealand’s artificial limb service, helping others adapt to limb loss. She was also a marriage celebrant for 21 years, is still offering her services as a Justice of the Peace, and became a recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her tireless community work.

Living at Summerset in the Orchard for 11 years, Erica loves the social aspect of village life – playing cards, going on outings and seeing friends throughout the village. In fact, her recent ‘70 Years Legless’ party saw more than 70 friends and family gather in leg-themed costumes, raising over $700 for amputee support services. “Losing a leg didn’t stop me,” Erica says. “You just learn to dance differently.”

This is an article from the Winter 2025 edition of Summerset Scene magazine

Click here to read the full issue