Teenager bounces back from jet ski accident, has high hopes with prosthetic limb0

ORLANDO, Fla. – At that exciting age when most girls are taking their first steps into high school, 14-year-old Zoe Gibbs of Lakeland is taking her first steps period. She is relearning what is second nature for most. Zoe has been on one leg since one unforgettable day this past Spring. On Easter Sunday, Zoe was on a personal watercraft with her cousin on Lake Gibson in Lakeland. Her cousin accidentally rammed into Zoe, severing her leg right below the knee cap. “Unfortunately, there was no way to save it. They didn’t even find it actually,” said Susan Gibbs, Zoe’s mother. “Her first thoughts were ‘I’m never going to play volleyball again.’” Zoe remembers every moment of the accident, but not much of the initial recovery. “The first three weeks in the hospital are fuzzy because of all the drugs I was on,” she said. After eleven operations, countless setbacks, and several complications, Zoe was released from the hospital. And that’s all behind her now. Recently, Zoe’s began the process of getting fitted for a prosthetic leg. She and her family makes frequent trips to Prosthetics and Orthotics Associates in Orlando where the team is designing her new limb and tweaking it so it fits perfectly. “She’s going to do great,” said Stan Patterson, owner. “She has the right type of spirit, the right type of attitude and a great family support.” On Friday, Zoe was active in her new leg for the first time. “To be able to see her today there in the gym, doing what she was doing and …