North Carolinian aims to return to tennis after leg amputation

“My left leg was basically completely metal from a couple inches above my knee right to my ankle, and it still wasn't better. I still had a ton of pain,” Perry said. “I couldn't bend my knee, and the remaining surgical options were non-existent unless I did amputation.”

Next step: amputation

Perry’s pain and immobility were hindering her quality of life. In January of 2024, she decided to have her leg amputated.

“The goal was always to get back to tennis, and when I got my leg amputated, it felt so freeing in my head. I'm going to be able to move pain free. I'm going to be able to get back to tennis,” Perry said. “But once I found out that insurance wouldn't pay for an athletic leg, it was like tires screeching. It was like everything hit the brakes. What did I just do? I've lost my leg, and now, if my parents can't afford $50,000 for the leg, I can't play tennis. I thought that was crazy.”

Perry’s experience led to the creation of Reagan’s Law, legislation introduced this year in the North Carolina General Assembly that would require insurance companies to expand their coverage to provide patients with access to custom orthotics and prosthetics. Named after Perry, the bill was passed unanimously by the North Carolina House. It is currently being debated in the Senate.

Perry worked with the national organization, So Every BODY Can Move, to help find state legislators to sponsor this type of bill. Perry’s father, retired Republican state Sen. Jim Perry, was already out of office by the time the bill was created. But some of his former colleagues saw the need for legislation.

“I was fairly old when this happened to me. I've already played sports. But if there is a kid born without a leg or loses their leg when they're 5, they're never going to play a team sport. They're never going to be active unless their parents can afford it,” Perry said. “I think the $50,000 estimated cost is just way out of the water for the average person.”

Encouraging exercise

Given the obesity crisis in the country, Perry believes insurance companies should be supporting ways to help patients without limbs to be active.

“You go on any insurance company's website and they have a fitness section and a wellness section and they encourage exercise. They encourage all these things, but they don't encourage exercise for amputees because they're not going to pay for the equipment you need to do that?” she said. “It just doesn't make any sense. It’s not logical.”

Perry’s health ordeal has inspired her to apply for medical school. She grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, and her orthopedic oncologist, Will Eward from Duke Health, is a medical doctor and a vet. He advised her to pick one, and Perry feels the medical route would allow her to help others in the same situation as her.

“All it took was a few good doctors to believe in me and to push for me to get the tests I needed, the care I needed, to kind of change my life and make sure that I could be pain free one day,” she said. “I think that's what solidified my desire to go into medicine. I want to stand up for people and believe them when they say that they're in pain, instead of just telling them they're crazy.”

Perry is relearning how to walk again after having another surgical procedure in May. Once she gets strong enough, she will begin trying to get an athletic leg. Perry plans to continue fighting to get Reagan’s Law passed and ensure patients with limb losses can afford to live an active life with help from insurance companies.

Perry already knows the first thing she’ll do once she gets a new sports prosthetic. She’ll return to the tennis court and rekindle a love that has only grown stronger through her absence.

“It's going to be emotional,” she said. “I still get emotional even when I'm watching tennis, because I've given so much to try to get back to this, and I'm still not there. Like, how much longer do I have to wait? But I'm super excited.”