Jarra Underwood
For Leimkuehler Orthotic-Prosthetic Center Inc. patient Jarra Underwood, adaptability, and resilience are not new concepts — they are lifelong skills.
When it came time to name her residual limb, Underwood did not do it herself. She let her six grandchildren take charge. After debating names like “Shorty,” “Peggy,” and “Twig,” the kids unanimously chose “Teeny Weeny.” When one grandson mentioned a friend with a robot prosthetic leg, the name officially became TWT — Teeny Weeny Turbo.
“You have to see the positive in the whole thing,” Underwood said. “Most days we try to do that.”
Before her amputation, Underwood worked for Wayne County, Ohio for 44 years. She started in the real estate department of the auditor’s office in 1979 and ran for Wayne County Auditor in 1998. She held the auditor position for 25 years, was elected president of the Ohio County Auditors Association in 2007 and was a recipient of the 2013 Auditor of State Award of Distinction. She retired in 2024.
Just months into her first term as auditor, Underwood was diagnosed with bone cancer. After a handful of surgeries, the area impacted by cancer was removed and she was fitted with metal implants in her right leg. But in 2016, she developed an infection which necessitated total knee replacement. Another round of surgeries followed when her infection returned, and her right leg was amputated above the knee on January 13, 2025. She is fitted with the RHEO knee from Össur paired with an Echelon foot from Blatchford.
“We did try different prosthetic knees and different prosthetic feet, and this was the best combination for her,” said Leimkuehler ABC Certified Prosthetist Orthotist John Fabian, Underwood’s prosthetist.
Friendly Feel of Leimkuehler
After Underwood’s amputation, her Cleveland Clinic surgeon put her in touch with an amputee.
“(Leimkuehler Amputee Care and Outreach Coordinator) Josh Green, who is an amputee himself, reached out to us and visited us while I was in the hospital recovering,” Underwood said. “It was the first time he had visited a new amputee in the hospital. It was so nice to meet him and have that connection, and he has remained a good friend.”
Underwood interviewed three prosthetists before deciding to place her care in the hands of Fabian.
“My husband and I considered how comfortable we felt with each prosthetist, their background, and what they could offer, and John came out on top,” Underwood said. “We just connected with him. He shows so much empathy and compassion.”
“Even before we met John, we liked Leimkuehler’s model. It is a third-generation family-owned provider; I also grew up in a family-owned business and I was the third generation to work in my family’s hardware store.”
Underwood explained that it is important to have the right team around you after an amputation: your spouse, your family, and your friends, and the right prosthetist.
“All prosthetists have access to the same prosthetic devices and technology, but it’s the personal touch that sets Leimkuehler Orthotic-Prosthetic Center Inc. apart from all the rest,” Underwood said.
Learning to Adapt
Underwood’s outlook was shaped early in life. Her father contracted polio as a child, spent time in an iron lung, and was told he would never walk. “He proved them wrong,” she said. “He learned to walk, graduated high school, and went to work every day. He had strength and resilience. I learned from watching him and the example he set.”
That mindset carried her through a recent family beach vacation, where she used a beach wheelchair provided by local police to take her 8- and 5-year-old grandchildren into the ocean. When a wave toppled the three of them, family members rushed in to pull her out of the surf.
In January, Underwood and her husband moved to Tallmadge, Ohio, to be closer to family. “Moving has been an adventure,” said Underwood. “I’ve learned to be resourceful getting around.”
As she continues adapting to life with her prosthesis, Underwood hopes to walk independently (she currently uses a walker), become more involved in her grandchildren’s lives, and join an amputee support group.
“I am so thankful for my husband, my family, and my friends,” she said. “Meeting Josh led us to John, and now they are friends too. You need a community around you—and I have that and so much more.”