CROMWELL -- Leigh Radziwon spent years in Hollywood as a special effects makeup artist and brought many B-movie undead monsters and zombies to life on the big screen. But there has been a plot twist to her life: she's gone from fiction to reality.
Radziwon, who now lives in Colchester, left the hustle of California and is now using her talents for medical patients as a prosthetic specialist for Cromwell-based Hanger Clinic. She reconstructs body parts for those who have lost a limb.
Radziwon said, "I specialized in body part construction and creature creation (in Hollywood) so it naturally led me to this field where I am making custom body parts for people who need them."
Radziwon recently was working from her Cromwell office with Staff Sgt. Jacob Rylander, who is stationed at Westover Air Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and lost his index finger and part of his hand in a tractor accident about two years ago. With Hanger Clinic's technology and Radziwon's skills, Rylander now has a new prosthetic that looks life-like.
"When I wear it people have no clue whatsoever," Rylander said. "This has been a life changing event."
Radziwon, added, "This is a device that is going to help him in his military career and help him feel whole again."
Radziwon also has a website for her special effect business To see more click here.
