Imagine a young girl, about 10 years old, hobbling around on a pair of wooden crutches, her left foot bandaged from yet another surgery. Judy Berna chronicles her experiences with elective amputation ...

So there we were, minding our own business, sayin' nottin' to no one, when this woman with crutches hobbles up to us and asks: "Will you hold these for a second?" What else could we do but only hold ...