9 year old dancer from Ammanford performs once again after losing leg in freak accident
Video report by ITV Wales reporter Gwennan Campbell.
A 9-year-old girl from Ammanford has realised her dream of dancing on stage once again after suffering a life-changing injury.
Alys Davies started dancing when she was just three years old, following her mother and sister’s footsteps. She does everything from disco dancing to folk dancing and back in April 2022, she was chosen to represent Wales in a dance exhibition in LA in the United States.
“I dance because it makes me feel free and happy,” she said.
But eighteen months ago, on Father’s Day, her life changed forever. Alys lost her leg in a freak accident in the garden, involving her father Dylan’s lawn mower.
Being told their daughter needed an amputation came as a huge shock for the family.
“It was something I couldn’t believe we were facing”, said Nia, her mother.
“We knew it was a serious injury but that was the last thing we expected to hear. How do you tell an eight-year-old who a fortnight previously was on stage performing and winning? How do you tell her without shattering her dreams?”
Her father added: “I was flabbergasted. It hit me so hard. You don’t know what to say really, you just go numb.”
At the time, no one knew if Alys would be able to walk again, let alone dance. But she’s a very determined little girl and less than two weeks after the amputation, she was back in the dance studio.
She was also back in the classroom after a fortnight - something that shows “her character and her perseverance” according to Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman Headteacher, Cerys Gruffydd.
“She’s such an inspiration for us every day”, she added.
Performing on stage once again was Alys’ dream, and that dream became a reality. Two weeks before the accident, she was competing on stage at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in Denbighshire and less than a year after losing her leg, she was back competing once again.
“Naturally, Alys’ life has changed a little”, Nia said.
“But I truly think that because of the support we’ve received from the community as a family, it’s made Alys feel comfortable enough in her new life.”
“It’s very emotional to think how far she’s come - to see her step back on stage with her friends, less than a year since the accident, and to see her so confident and not seeing herself any different to anyone else.”
“I didn’t think she’d be able to dance again if I’m completely honest”, Dylan added.
“I was so happy to see her taking part and I was very proud to be her dad.”
After mastering dancing with her prosthetic leg, Alys was ready to face a new challenge of dancing with a blade.
Paul Drayton, a prosthetist at Morriston Hospital in Swansea has got to know Alys and her family very well over the last year and has played a key part in her development.
“She’s done fantastically well in such a short space of time”, he said.
“The thing I admire most is how she’s got back to doing all the things she loved to do. She’s achieved all the goals she wanted to do.
“I really don’t know where she’s going to go but wherever she goes we’ll support her. I think Alys can do whatever she wants to do and the sky’s the limit.
"The last year has been full of challenges for Alys but she’s completed every single one without complaining", Drayton said.
“Alys has proven that you can overcome any obstacle in life”, said Nia.
“Not only overcoming but succeeding too. Her attitude is so inspiring for us as parents but also to the whole community too and for everyone - whether you know her personally or not.”
And Alys herself has a message for others facing a difficult challenge: “If you had a skill you loved before the accident, don’t let the accident hold you back and never give up.”
Alys’ story is set to feature in a documentary on S4C at 8.00 pm on 10 December called ‘Drych: Stori Alys’. The programme has English subtitles.
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