“I’m standing here today on one-leg” – Tanya Hosch on the decision that changed her life.

I’m back at my desk tonight, editing the conversation I had with Tanya Hosch for The Limb Shift. It’s a strange feeling, editing these conversations just a few months later.

Tanya, a Torres Strait Islander woman known for her leadership at the AFL and her social justice work, faced a grueling three-year journey. Her amputation was related to Charcot foot, a diabetic complication where the bones soften and collapse. She was incredibly candid about the toll it took, having spent years on knee scooters, in wheelchairs, and undergoing multiple intensive surgeries to try and save the limb.

Her experience with diabetes is a common one amongst Indigenous Australians. Statistics show that Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people are more likely to be impacted by the condition, and Tanya noted that she was none the wiser as to the fact she was not in great shape physically for fifteen years while balancing high-stress jobs.

In 2023, while I was still in my own hospital bed recovering from a lower limb amputation, I remember seeing Tanya on national TV. She was standing on stage with the Prime Minister in Adelaide at the Yes referendum campaign launch—appearing in public just over two weeks after her own amputation and only one day after being discharged from the hospital.

When she spoke about that stage launch, she captured the sheer physical and emotional demand of the moment:

“A little over two weeks ago, I had my lower right leg amputated and so, having left hospital only yesterday, I’m standing here on one leg today. Clapping because I don’t know how long I can do it… I knew I could do it… but I certainly wasn’t ready for the amount of emotion that was in the room, and that did make my hands shake”.

What struck me most while listening back was her honesty about the “if/when” language shift from medical staff. Before her surgery, experts spoke about when she would get a prosthetic, but the day after, it shifted to if. That uncertainty fueled a “fierce independence” in her recovery, she told me. She was doing two ninety-minute rehab sessions a day, even practicing on weekends when the staff weren’t there.

“I was taking responsibility, and I was I was working hard because I still had those words of ‘if I get a prosthetic’ ringing in my ears and I didn’t want to risk not being able to do that”.

Despite her strength, she doesn’t shy away from the ongoing grief of losing a part of herself. She spoke about the moments where it just feels “too hard” and how she misses being able to dress the way she wants or wear the shoes she loves.

“I’m still grieving my leg… I think it’ll be a really long time before it feels like my normal. There’s a degree to which I still feel like I’m adjusting”.

Tanya’s advice for others in this position is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot during this edit. She spoke about the difference between empathy and pity, and the importance of speaking up for what you need:

“The best advice I can offer is if you’re aware of what it is that might help you, ask someone for it… I learned that when I did know, it was really useful to to say that out loud and allow people to do it for me… allowing myself a time to be okay with allowing people to help me”.

Editing this episode is a reminder of why these stories matter. It was a deeply moving interview, and we both shed a couple of tears during the recording. Seeing her on that stage while I was at my lowest point gave me a map for what was possible.