**By Glen Williams
Despite having both hands cut off and losing his left foot, Terry Vo still dances to his own beat.**
Who could forget the horrible day in 2005 when news broke that a 10-year-old Perth boy lay fighting for his life, having lost both his hands and a foot in a freak backyard basketball accident.
The little boy was Terry Vo. It was the Easter weekend and Terry had jumped up to perform an energetic slam dunk at a friend’s home in the northern suburb of Dianella. As he grabbed hold of the hoop — secured to a garage wall — the wall and knife-sharp roof guttering came crashing down. The falling bricks and guttering, as savage as guillotines, cut off Terry’s hands and left foot.
Miraculously, a fast-thinking friend located the severed limbs among the debris and put them on ice in an esky.
The amazing team at Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital for Children were able to reattach Terry’s arms, making headlines all around the world, but his foot was unable to be restored and his leg was amputated 14cm below his knee.
Terry’s parents, Tam and Trang, were devastated and, to a large extent, still are. His mum Trang admits that every time she sees Terry’s prosthesis, she can’t help but think, “If only there hadn’t been an accident.”
For the full story, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale Oct 20).
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