Welcome on the Website of Co LeDahu: www.1b1.nl


1b1 website: old news?

I started this webpages during my rehabilitation period from 2001 tot 2006 to describe my trajectory of recovery and getting back in society.

This website writing has been a very important part of dealing with my amputation. An other motivation was to share experiences and knowledge with fellow amputees to motivate and support them.

After 2006 I felt I could cope with my amputation and the urge to write about ik became less. Now I'm more active than most of the people of my age without a handicap and still pushing back frontiers.

Much has happened sinds 2006. The children have grown up, I'm divorced and I made a lot of very nice motorbike trips through Southern Europe.
The website info is still valid but I'm older and more experienced.

Want to know more or have comments? Please contact Co LeDahu!




co 1b1: trailer for a video clip of Q4 'One of these Days'


A site with information about living and dealing with a lower-limb amputation.

I'm Co (born 1950) and I live in a medium size town in beautyful woody surroundings about in the middle of The Netherlands.
Due to a traffic accident my left leg has been amputated just below the knee.
To move along I generally use crutches or a wheelchair; and if all circumstances are well, I walk with my prosthesis.

Co LeDahu met lotgenoot
CoLeDahu with an old partner-in-misfortune...
Co LeDahu met prothese
Watch this: Co obviously got out of bed on the wrong side!

Mostly people are vaguely aquainted to someone with an amputated leg, or they've seen someone on TV with an amputation.
What they remember is that this person can play football or can even perfectly ski down a mountain, so if you take it all positively you don't have much nuisance from it....
For those who find this convincing, they can surf along, because those kind of remarks are not of much help for a positive motivation of an amputee.
Or it must be the feeling, that if after rehabilitation one can't play football or can't ski with one's prosthesis, that he hasn't done hisyour best really.
This reaction ofcourse is quite understandable but certainly can cause distance and misunderstandings between an amputee and people around him.
Better is, for understandig of his physical and psychological difficulties, to learn more about the life of an amputee.

This website gives the opportunity to do so by telling how I have dealt with my amputation.
I try to describe my experiences for those, who want to know more about the limitations, problems, medical backgrounds or just my daily occupations as an amputee.



For supporters and fellow-amputees.

My Website is dedicated to all my loved ones. Intended to thank and inform everyone, who supported me with love, compassion and sympathy in the period after my accident.
But I also set up this website for my partners in misfortune -everywhere in the world- who have suffered a lower limb amputation themselves, or those who have to be amputated in the near future; and for their relatives as well.
Right after my amputation and at the beginning of all complications, a website like this would have been of great help. Hopefully it can be of some help for those who have to go the same path.
Furthermore all this information is for everyone, who is seriously interested or related to this subject. Personaly or professionaly.
Co LeDahu met prothese op zijn motor Without any effort Co puts his leg behind his head...


Confidence in the future and keep smiling.
Co LeDahu on the H-D with prosthesis Co LeDahu with prostheses on his modified Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob.
Cazorla, Spain (pic by Pepe)
 This story is quite extended and tells about lots of medical actions and complications. It tries to tell everything as complete as possible to scetch a picture of what can happen physically and psychologically after undergoing an amputation.

But every amputation is different, every stump has its own history.
However I have known fellow-amputees who suffered far more and far longer, I'm glad to know a lot who had a faster and more prosperious recovery and rehabilitation proces.

Who can use their prosthesis whole day long from the early morning until late in the evening without problems. Who can do lots of things again, they did before their amputation.
This is said to not discourage future amputees and their relatives unnecessarily.
This story is realistic in what I have experienced. In my case, with my by accident trauma badly damaged leg, there is a chance to go through a comparable trajectory.

But that doesn't mean that with other medical indications for amputation there wouldn't be the possibility to live again with a prosthesis after half a year again! I've seen this more than once with younger and much, much older (even 91 year of age!) patients.

For those who want to prepare themselfs or someone else for an amputation: make contact with amputees. Try to find them through organisations for lower limb-amutees and information events, documentation and the internet (see the Links) page), local and international.

Have trust in the future... but the most important thing for Co LeDahu (curious about his nickname? Click here) always has been:

Do not postpone enjoying life
Each day is unique, beautyful and worth living... the hard ones as well.

Leonardo Amputatio