At first glance, Bridget Feeney's @preppyprosthetics Instagram account might look very similar to those of other fashion bloggers and Instagrammers you follow, or have seen while scrolling through your feed.
But if you look a bit closer, you'll find there's much more to Bridget than meets the eye.
8 months ago, due to complications during open heart valve replacement surgery, Bridget received a heart transplant, and had her left leg amputated below the knee. Neither of these procedures were ever in her original life plans.
Just 11 days after Bridget was born, she underwent her first heart surgery, and just a week later, another. However, despite such hectic beginnings, she recovered quickly and well, and went on to lead a normal childhood.
She went to school, and was a member of several teams. She took dance lessons, art lessons, ice skating lessons - anything you can think of, Bridget did it.
Aside from family and close friends, few people were aware of Bridget’s heart conditions. They were never something she brought up in conversations, or called attention to in any way. She was able to participate in most activities and wanted to be treated normally by her peers.
At age 15, Bridget underwent her second open-heart surgery, during the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of high school. She recovered well, returning to school that September. Once again, she proved that she would not be limited by her heart conditions. Bridget continued to thrive throughout the following years – beginning her studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.
Unfortunately, before the fall her junior year there, a routine echocardiogram revealed that the valve she had received just 5 years prior had become severely stenotic (narrowed - restricting sufficient blood flow). Her doctors informed her that she would need to undergo open-heart surgery again, much sooner than they had expected. Several stressful months later, on May 15th 2017, Bridget entered the hospital for what she expected to be a 3-4 hour surgery to have her valve replaced.
She woke up 10 days later - in a different hospital, and with a brand new heart.
Additional complications during the original procedure ultimately necessitated the amputation of her left leg, below the knee. This procedure was done just 21 days later.
When Bridget is wearing longer pants, or a high-neck top, you might not even notice the scars on her chest or her prosthetic left leg.
But if you continue to scroll through her photos, these features will likely catch your eye.
On her account, and in her daily life, Bridget neither hides nor flaunts these features. When it is sunny and warm, she wears shorts, skirts, and dresses, revealing her prosthesis.
If she finds a cute top with a lower cut neckline, she has no problem showing her scars.
She is confident in who she is and what she has been through, and feels no need try to look like anyone but herself.
On her Instagram @preppyprosthetics, Bridget shares photos of her daily fashions along with fun and engaging captions. On her blog preppyprosthetics.com she shares more in-depth details of her life and story, including a four-part narrative recounting her journey from birth with multiple heart defects, all the way up to her unexpected heart transplant at age 21. Also on her blog are articles about her latest fashion finds and interests, general lifestyle articles, as well as articles about topics close to her heart.
As an aspiring elementary school teacher, Bridget is incredibly passionate in her work. She loves going to school every day, and teaching her first-grade students. To her family and friends, Bridget is a source of light and an inspiration. To anyone who reads her story, Bridget’s unshaken optimism and enthusiasm serve as a reminder that no challenge is too great to overcome.
A gif to describe her persona? Bridget says:
So what's stopping you?! GO get inspired by Bridget's incredible story!
Read all about her on preppyprosthetics.com and follow along with her on Instagram @preppyprosthetics