By the end of 2013, 1,558 U.S. troops had suffered major limb amputations as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This growing population of amputees, as well as funding from the U.S. Department of Defense, has promoted the development of more robust prostheses — as well as research into future prosthetic devices driven by the brain.

 is Narratively's Deputy Photo Editor and a freelance visual journalist. Previously, she worked in arts education, where she produced videos and photography while teaching documentation skills to educators.

This story was created in partnership between 

Prostheticsheader.png

How have the wars in Afghanistan & Iraq changed life for amputees? A short documentary film explores.

Jessica Bal