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Haitian amputee dancing again, three years after earthquake

Professional dancer Georges Exantus sleeps as his prosthetic limb lays on the floor in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he'd never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti's capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus says he has learned to ignore the long stares and quiet whispers, products of a longstanding stigma in Haiti for people with disabilities. Before the quake, few resources existed to accommodate Haiti's disabled, and many regard people with disabilities as misfits.
Professional dancer Georges Exantus sleeps as his prosthetic limb lays on the floor in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he'd never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti's capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus says he has learned to ignore the long stares and quiet whispers, products of a longstanding stigma in Haiti for people with disabilities. Before the quake, few resources existed to accommodate Haiti's disabled, and many regard people with disabilities as misfits.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
By PhotoBlog
Exantus lifts weights in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Exantus lifts weights in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
Exantus bathes as he prepares for a concert in Port-au-Prince.
Exantus bathes as he prepares for a concert in Port-au-Prince.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
Exantus walks out of his home to his wedding ceremony in Port-au-Prince.
Exantus walks out of his home to his wedding ceremony in Port-au-Prince.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
Exantus puts a ring on the finger of his bride Sherly Henrisme Exantus at their wedding in Port-au-Prince.
Exantus puts a ring on the finger of his bride Sherly Henrisme Exantus at their wedding in Port-au-Prince.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
Professional dancer Georges Exantus, right, performs with Modeline Gene Arhan during a show in Port-au-Prince.
Professional dancer Georges Exantus, right, performs with Modeline Gene Arhan during a show in Port-au-Prince.Dieu Nalio Chery / AP

See a series of stories from Haiti about amputees getting new prosthetic limbs after the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010. 

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