Brazil's Tallest Man Walks Again After Losing Both Legs
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Ninão, who is known as Brazil's tallest man, is walking again after losing both of his legs.
He is from the state of Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. He has become well known because of his great height.
At some point, doctors had to perform an amputation on both of his legs. An amputation is a medical operation to remove a body part.
After the operation, Ninão was unable to walk. Losing both legs is a major change for anyone's life.
However, Ninão has now received prosthetic legs. These are artificial legs that replace missing body parts.
Because Ninão is extremely tall, normal prosthetic legs would not fit him. So his new legs were custom-made, meaning they were specially designed just for his body.
Making prosthetics for such a tall person is a difficult and unusual challenge for specialists, since standard equipment is designed for average-sized people.
With his new legs, Ninão has managed to walk again. This is an important moment, both physically and emotionally, after such a difficult experience.
His story has drawn public attention in Brazil, as people are inspired by his recovery and determination.
The case also shows how technology in medicine can help people with very specific needs, even in rare situations like his.
Vocabulary10 words
- amputation
- an operation to remove a body part
- prosthetic
- an artificial body part used instead of a real one
- custom-made
- made specially to fit one particular person
- specialists
- experts who know a lot about one subject
- recovery
- getting better after an illness or injury
- technology
- tools and science used to solve problems
- height
- how tall someone or something is
- operation
- medical treatment done by a doctor on the body
- determination
- strong effort to do something difficult
- artificial
- not natural; made by people
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Because normal ones would not fit his height 2. Both his legs were amputated in an operation 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Ninão, who is known as Brazil's tallest man, is walking again after losing both of his _____.
He is from the state of _____, in northeastern Brazil.
Doctors had to perform an _____ on both of his legs.
After the operation, Ninão was unable to _____.
Ninão has now received _____ legs.
Because Ninão is extremely tall, his new legs were _____, meaning they were specially designed for his body.
Making prosthetics for such a tall person is a difficult challenge for _____.
With his new legs, Ninão has managed to _____ again.
His story has drawn public attention, as people are inspired by his _____.
The case shows how _____ in medicine can help people with very specific needs.
Discussion questions
- How do you think it felt for Ninão to walk again after losing both legs?
- Why might it be harder to make prosthetic limbs for a very tall person?
- What other challenges might extremely tall people face in daily life?
- Do you know other stories of people overcoming physical disabilities with technology?
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