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Cottage life

Tuula loses a leg, but stays unstoppable: “We won’t give up”

Finnish Tuula Muhonen enthusiastically spends time at her cottage, even though her femoral amputation slows her down. Together with her family, she has come up with solutions that make typical cottage chores possible.

October 6, 2025Lue suomeksi

In the spring, you’ll often find Tuula Muhonen in her cottage yard in Heinävesi, Eastern Finland, either on all fours or kneeling as she tends her flowerbeds—one of her favorite pastimes. She keeps an abundance of flowers at the cottage.

“I’ve tried to gather mainly traditional perennial flowers there. I love watching the miracle of growth and admiring their beautiful blooms,” Tuula explains.

The somewhat unusual working position is due to Tuula’s injury. In 2018, she underwent a femoral amputation of her left leg. Her leg became necrotic after a heart operation went wrong.

According to Muhonen, the injury does slow and complicate her cottage life, but it by no means stops her. She spends her summers at the cottage with her spouse and caregiver Reijo Muhonen and often visits on winter weekends.

“Give it your all but never give up” is a good motto. If something doesn’t work the usual way, you have to find another way.

Traditional perennial flowers are Tuula’s passion.
Tuula has had a femoral amputation of her left leg, but it doesn’t prevent her from gardening.

Tuula moves around outdoors with crutches or a walker, and indoors in the main room using a wheelchair. The cottage, built by Tuula’s paternal grandfather in 1905 as a small farm, is in no way accessible. The thresholds are high.

For everyday convenience, the Muhonens have moved frequently used items to the lower kitchen cabinets and placed less frequently used ones in the upper cabinets. There are hardly any rugs, so the wheelchair wheels won’t get stuck. The furniture is arranged so that Tuula can set the table while moving around in her wheelchair.

For yard work, Tuula uses her walker to move things like stones or firewood. Meanwhile, the Muhonens’ son and his friends built a detachable motorized raft at the dock, allowing Tuula to gently cruise across Lake Ylä-Lappi while seated in her wheelchair.

“There are lots of tricks, but I still couldn’t manage at the cottage on my own. For instance, I can’t carry our household water into the cottage.”

The Muhonens are also drawn to the cottage in winter, and Tuula doesn’t shy away from taking part in firewood chores.
Working together is part of cottage life.
Tuula still takes part in renovation projects.
A faithful companion enjoys sitting in Tuula’s lap.
Togetherness is an essential part of the cottage atmosphere. The Muhonens’ son built a motorized raft with his friends, allowing Tuula to cruise around the lake in her wheelchair.

The cottage is her everything, as she puts it. Nature calms her, and cottage life with swimming, gardening, and mushroom-picking gives her strength. In the summer, she doesn’t need a gym or pool because she gets all the exercise she needs from cottage activities.

For example, heading out to pick mushrooms or lingonberries on crutches is a serious workout for Tuula. If she falls, she has no choice but to get back up.

“For us, an essential part of cottage life is having friends come over. Often, we have some group work projects on the schedule—yard work, renovation, or maybe some painting. It’s nice to chat while working,” Tuula says.

“Then in the evening, we enjoy the sauna and spend time together. Our guests say it’s nicer to do things than just sit around.”

Built in 1905, the cottage is part of Tuula’s family heritage.
A toast to the cottage summer!
A therapy dog is an enthusiastic participant in Tuula Muhonen’s cottage activities.
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