White Mountain Naturals

WHITE MOUNTAIN NATURALS

A White Mountain Products Company

"Created for amputees by an amputee"

Below you will find a testimonial submited by Robbie Roberts. Robbie has been asked by the Governor of South Carolina to be their official spokesperson to the disabled community and is a published author of articles concerning the disabled in several magazines such as Family Health and Fitness, Men's Fitness, and Weight Watchers. Robbie also travels as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers and speaks to bring awareness about disability issues around the State. He has turned his "Liabilities into an Asset". We can all learn from him...

I have been a double below knee amputee (BKA) for almost 5 years now. I have been in and out of the hospital several times in the last five years for cysts, abrasions, irritated skin and mrsa infections. I just got out of the hospital about 5 weeks ago, but while I was in the hospital my sister-in-law told me about Limb Defense Wash & Liner Cleanser and Limb Defense Skin Conditioner & Moisturizer she had read about on the internet. She had met Dave Harper and he sent me some samples to try. When I got home I started using them. I have used them for over 5 weeks now and my legs have never been better. There are no more dry patches, no infections, and my legs are soft as they have ever been, they are really back to normal since I have been using the products. I would really recommend them to all amputees. It is a heaven sent product and is well worth it for you to try it. My legs have never been better. Thanks guys, you have made my life a littler easier, and as we amputees know, every little bit helps. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Robbie Roberts / Myrtle Beach, SC

I am not an amputee, but these products have been a God send! I have been affected with several conditions over the years that have caused me such discomfort that I simply began to accept the fact that relief would never be found. Sometimes relief comes from unexpected sources and when it finally shows up the feelings can be a bit, well, overwhelming. A friend of ours, Baptist Evangelist David Harper visited our church, which my husband Pastors and told us of a soap he had made to help amputees and that he was working on an all natural skin conditioner and moisturizer which he felt would help amputees with their residual limbs, he and suggested I try the wash and lotion. I have been bothered by “dust mite” bites (no see’ums) and their irritation for years, that have over time made me very ill from, what I believe have been the accumulative build up in my system of the toxic effects of their persistent and constant bites. Not to mention the effect this has had on my nerves as a continuing aggravation, which has consistently drained my ability to concentrate and live a quality life. I cannot believe how great I feel not getting eaten alive everyday. It had a drain on my nerves and at times caused me to be short tempered due to the constant itching and scratching. This left me with many painful skin rashes that just did not seem to heal. I also had trouble with a recurring fungal infection called Candida, caused by too much yeast or sugar in my diet and I developed rashes and dry skin patches around my nose and eye brows, which have plagued me for years. I am especially itchy in my outer ears from the dry skin. I tried using “Limb Defense Conditioner and Moisturizer” on a q-tip and lightly applied it to my outer ears and have experienced great relief. I missed a lip in both of my ears the first night I tried it and my ears were only itchy in these two areas where the lotion was missed. Isn't that funny? The next night I put it everywhere on my outer ears and it has helped me tremendously. My dad suffers from the same problems with his ears. Also I have been putting it all over my face at night and the rash and dry skin has disappeared when I used it along with the “Limb Defense Wash and Liner Cleanser”. I know these products are made to help amputees, but they work for just about anyone with skin problems with the potential for infection. I like the all natural ingredients and their ability to naturally help heal my body and give me a strong “Defense” against what life throws at me.
God bless…Suzanne D... from Rhode Island

I lost my right leg just below the knee two and a half years ago and I was troubled with skin problems right from the beginning. Because my first leg never fit properly I developed skin abrasions, irritated areas, dry skin patches and what seemed to be endless infections from cyst and irritated skin. Being in a silicon liner and sleeve led to a moist environment ripe for bacterial, fungal, and viral growth due to sitting in my own sweat during the times I wore my prosthetic leg. I received samples of the new “Limb Defense” products, Limb Defense Wash & Liner Cleanser along with Limb Defense Skin Conditioner and Moisturizer” With in days my troubled areas began to clear up and heal. I have not been bothered with an infection on my residual limb for almost two months. I am convinced these products will help other amputees to protect themselves from many future and potentially dangerous problems in the same way I have. I don’t know if this will prevent every problem that I will have, but at least now I have what I believe is a good “Defense” against future issues! The Tea Tree Oil is fantastic as it is naturally an antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral agent with healing properties known around the world.
Evangelist Dave Harper Co-Owner and President of The White Mountain Products Company…I am not just the creator of these fine products, but I am also a satisfied customer and fellow amputee!

New leg offers hope for more stable world

By Dan Mac Alpine
GateHouse News Service
Wed Jun 20, 2007, 07:04 PM EDT

Beverly -
At 51, Steve Cornell now prefers golf to track. He’ll be competing in a national tournament in Chicago next weekend. He’ll have to fit the tournament in between his jobs as a warehouse manager and an assistant lacrosse coach.
However, his hectic schedule won’t likely be the biggest challenge he faces.
Rather it’s this: Cornell stands on one leg and presses down and forward hard. The leg of titanium, aluminum and graphite collapses and Cornell has to grab onto a padded examination table in the Cummings Center offices of Cornell Orthotics & Prosthetics to keep from tumbling onto his face.
And that’s the threat Cornell faces — every step of his life.
Teresa Arnold, 45, climbs a set of three steps in the Cornell (no relation to Steve) offices. She uses a cane. She takes each step, one at a time. Step. Pause. Step. She grasps the rail, as if half expecting her prosthetic leg to collapse — as Cornell’s leg had done — sending her crumpling down the stairs in a heap.
Arnold, too, faces the threat — every step of her life.
Then a technician from Otto Bock, a German maker of prosthetic limbs, pulls out a new leg that would eliminate that threat permanently for both Cornell and Arnold.
Unfortunately, the new leg costs about $20,000 more than the old one, anywhere from $33,000 to $45,000, depending on individual needs.
The cost creates a barrier between patient need and insurance coverage.
The smart leg, equipped with computer sensors in the thigh and ankle, heel and toe, senses the terrain and automatically adjusts the hydraulic knee, controlling the fluid entering the mechanical joint, so it’s impossible to overload and can’t collapse.
Cornell tried. And tried. And tried. Using the same technique he used on his purely mechanical leg. Every time he lunged for the table. Every time the leg held and the move was unnecessary.
Trusting the computerized leg was also an issue for Arnold. Walking the length of an exercise room, between two parallel bars, she tentatively stepped, leaning on her cane, half expecting the leg to fold or be as inflexible as her old, mechanical leg.
Arnold lost her natural leg to a vascular birth defect that stills causes swelling in her thigh and saps some of the strength she needs to engage the mechanical hydraulic knee.
Cornell, who lost his natural leg at 12 while trying to hop a freight train, has no such issue.
“I’m hoping the new leg will have an ease of flexibility and need less force,” said Arnold. “That would be helpful. It would be less exhausting to use.”
Arnold didn’t quite break into a trot when fitted with the new leg. She wanted to use the cane, but there were moments, two or three steps in a row as she paced up and down the room’s length, when she forgot and the computerized knee flexed and Arnold almost lost her limp.
“The more she would use it the more she would learn to trust it, the less energy she would expend,” said Keith D. Cornell, owner of Cornell Orthotics & Prosthetics, who fits and constructs prosthetics from his office/factory. “I was hoping she could put the cane down, but she would need more time to do that. She got a taste of it and saw it’s possible to walk much better.”
For Arnold, the leg met her basic hopes.
“It’s exciting to have a component that will stand up and not use up so much physical effort with every step I take,” she said.
For Keith Cornell it’s such glimpses that he hopes will capture the medical community’s attention and, just as importantly, insurance companies who would pay for the computerized leg.
The Otto Bock, C-leg, so named for the computer language that drives it, uses technology that’s about 5 years old.
Newer Bluetooth computer technology makes it easier to program the C-leg. A few years ago, Jeff Honma, a clinical specialist with Otto Bock, would have had to connect his laptop to the C-leg with multiple wires in order to program the leg’s computer chips to adjust for the user’s individual gait. Now he now simply taps on a wireless keyboard.
“It’s a lot less cumbersome and faster,” said Honma.
Still, the basic technology remains the same.
“It’s proven technology, but still not widely available to patients. It’s not experimental,” said Keith Cornell who can see a way to improve his patients’ lives, but often can’t get past the glass wall of insurance coverage.
“Companies hesitate to cover newer prostheses because of cost or because medical necessity,” said Keith Cornell. “Both arguments are weak. Our field is a very small field and it is behind where it should be for getting the high-quality medical studies to show the efficacy of these devices. We are making progress.”
Hence the demonstrations in his office.
Just last year, Massachusetts passed a law that required prostheses to be covered at the same rate as all other medical expenses. So the policy coverage is uniform. Prior to the law, insurance companies covered prostheses at a lower rate when compared to other medical needs.
Still, the insurance companies decide what is medically necessary, deciding whether the newer technology makes enough of an improvement in patients’ lives to deserve coverage.
“It’s important to increase awareness,” said Kevin Cornell. “To let people know that these wonderful devices are out there and there’s still a lack of understanding of how they work. The demonstration showcases this technology and shows it’s tried and true and works very well.”
Steve Cornell needs no further convincing.
After taking the C-leg for a trial run —almost literally — around the Cummings Center grounds, he returned with an ear-to-ear grin.
Normally, he walks looking down at the ground to make sure his leg strikes properly and avoids uneven ground, potholes and other obstacles the would cause the knee to buckle and pitch him to the ground.
“I feel like a little kid in a toy store,” said Steve Cornell. “Trusting the knee not to buckle and then just walking step to step is so different. I can keep my eyes forward now and see the world around me.”
And with his insurance company picking up 80 percent of the cost, Steve Cornell figures he can afford the new leg.

Amputee riders, skydivers come to Plano

By Kevin Hageland, Staff Writer(Created: Friday, June 22, 2007)

Adversity is a part of everyone’s life. But on Tuesday, Plano residents will have the opportunity to meet a group of amputees that have taken the adversity experienced in their life and used it as a springboard to inspire others.Joe Sapere, Abel Cruz, Cliff Clark and Beasey Hendrix are part of this year’s Amputees Across America, a cross-country biking and skydiving trek done to inspire others and to increase public awareness of amputees as people with active lifestyles.The quartet began its journey May 28, when they departed from the HealthSouth Tustin Rehab Facility in Tustin, Calif. The group rides in increments of 150 miles and will continue to do so until the 3,500-mile trip concludes July 25 in Vero Beach, Fla.On Tuesday, the Plano Fire Department will escort the group east down 15th Street from Coit to just beyond Independence, before heading to the HealthSouth Plano Rehabilitation Hospital at 2 p.m. Once there, Mayor Pro-Tem Sally Magnuson will be on hand to declare it Amputees Across America Day in Plano“I think the most important message these guys have for everyone is that having any kind of disability shouldn’t keep you down or ruin your life,” said Tammy Hermann, senior marketing liaison at HealthSouth Plano Rehabilitation Hospital.The members of Amputees Across America will visit HealthSouth Plano patients and members of the Dallas Amputee Network to share stories of overcoming their amputation to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, as well as Synergy Orthotics and Prosthetics will be on hand with information about the latest advances in prosthetic devices.“It’s pretty special to see people with such active lifestyles, especially older people, do something like this,” said Ellen Fernandes, Organizer for DAN. “Some people may think there is nothing left for them, but these guys show that getting an amputation doesn’t mean your life is over; you can still get involved and have fun.”Fernandes said she has sent out group emails and newsletters about the visit, as well as advertising it on the organization’s website, but that she still has concerns about how many people will show up for the cause. Fernandes stated that many people will be working at the time of the event and will be unable to attend. Hermann said she has invited the American Homeschool Association to attend.Despite worries about attendance, Fernandes said she was looking forward to Tuesday. This won’t be the first time Fernandes has seen Amputees Across America come through Plano, as the group also visited the city in 2002, the first year of the first cross-country trek, and 2006.“It’s a very festive atmosphere when they come through, and people always seem to ask a lot of questions,” Hermann said. “And for the HealthSouth patients, I think it gives them inspiration and hope. It’s great seeing the smiles on our patients’ faces when they meet and talk with the riders.”And while the trip started with four riders, the Amputees Across America quartet is now a trio as Hendrix had to drop out due to complications with his diabetes. But the three remaining riders refused to alter or shorten their travel plans.The group is led by Sapere, who founded Amputees Across America in 2002. At 66, Sapere, who lost his leg in a 2000 skydiving accident, is the oldest rider in the group. Since that time, Sapere said his goal in life has been to demonstrate to other amputees that life can get better despite amputation. Sapere was in the Air Force and has a master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California.Riding alongside Sapere is the 55-year-old Cruz, who lost his leg after a motorcycle accident in August 2005. As a result of the accident, Cruz also suffered left shoulder, left femoral neck and pelvic fractures. But before Cruz could even walk again, he was pedaling a bike with the help of a stationary trainer. Cruz has been married to his wife Jerri for 29 years and has two daughters.Rounding out the trio of riders is Clark, or Doc, who became an amputee after complications from osteomylitis in 2005. Clark was in the Army for nine years and now serves as a home health and hospice medical director. He is also an avid cook.Since this annual cross-country trip is already sponsored by HealthSouth, Amputees Across America focuses more on spreading awareness than raising funds.“Obviously the group takes donations, but they never bring it up,” Hermann said. “But I guess after you affect even one life, that’s all the motivation you need.”After coming through Plano, Amputees Across America will be at the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas on Wednesday. The next day, the trio will continue their journey as they head to Tyler.“I think anyone that comes to the event will be absolutely inspired by these guys,” Hermann said. “We all have challenges in our life, but it’s great to see people that are able to overcome any obstacle.”Hence the triumvirate’s slogan of, “Dream it, believe it, achieve it.”For more information on the riders, visit: www.amputeesacrossamerica.com or to find out about DAN, visit: dallasamputeenetwork.org.

Kernan ASERT (Amputee Support Education Resource Team)

Outpatient Therapy Room, 2200 Kernan Drive, Baltimore, MD 21207, 410-448-6731


June 13, 2007

Dear Amputees,

As you are probably aware, amputees are increasingly facing economic challenges on top of the physical challenges they face every day. During the last five years, there have been drastic changes in healthcare insurance. Many amputees face radically reduced coverage for prosthetics, making it difficult, if not impossible, to afford proper prosthetics and care. This is a trend in insurance coverage.

In a 2006 poll, the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) found that 24 percent of its members had their coverage reduced in the past few years, with 4 percent experiencing an elimination of their coverage completely. This is a trend we must change. But we need your help!

There are a group of prosthetists and patients working with the ACA to advance legislation that will mandate coverage for appropriate prosthetic devices and necessary maintenance and repair for their safe and successful use.

At the very least, we ask that each amputee, family member, healthcare professional, and friend pledge to contact their legislators about this effort. They need to hear loud and clear from their districts about the importance of requiring prosthetic coverage. We will provide you with the necessary contact information and sample letters.

Action is taking place right now to push this bill forward. Assistance with phone calls or mailings, attendance and participation in legislative action, and financial assistance through donations of any size are all great ways to assist the effort.

Please join us and we will all benefit!

Sincerely,

Mary Jo Young
c/o Naomi Miller/Kim Cardosa
Kernan Hospital
Outpatient Therapy Room
410-448-6731

For more information, contact the Advocacy Department of the ACA at 202-742-1885 or appll@amputee-coalition.org

Jessica Long presented the James E. Sullivan Award

Real Life Prosthetics, LLC
3435 Box Hill Corporate Center Drive, Suite D, Abingdon, Maryland 21009

We are pleased to post that on March 11, 2007, Jessica was presented with the 77th AAU James E. Sullivan Award for the nations top amateur athlete.
See her photo with award usolympicteam.com.


Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.) became the first Paralympic athlete to win the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented to the USA’s best amateur athlete, Wednesday night at an awards ceremony in New York City.
Long, 15, won the award after a spectacular year in 2006, highlighted by her performance at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa, in December, where she won nine gold medals and set five world records.
“I was just happy to be nominated,” Long said. “There were so many great athletes nominated. I was shocked to hear them say that I had won.”
Long was one of 15 finalists for the award, along with Joey Cheek (speedskating), Sasha Cohen (figure skating), Troy Dumais (diving), Chris Leak (football), Joakim Noah (basketball), Apolo Ohno, (speedskating), Candace Parker (basketball), Michael Phelps (swimming), Brady Quinn (football), Angela Ruggiero (ice hockey), Troy Smith (football), Hannah Teter (snowboarding), Joe Warren (wrestling) and Bill Zadick (wrestling).
“Jessica not only deserves this award for her performance in the pool, but for what she has done as a role model and mentor for kids with physical disabilities,” said Charlie Huebner, Chief of U.S. Paralympics. “An objective of the USOC Gameplan is to increase participation of kids with physical disabilities in sport and recreation programs throughout the U.S. The Sullivan Award’s recognition of Jessica’s ability significantly enhances our opportunities to meet that objective.”
Long has also been honored as the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2006 Paralympian of the Year and Swimming World Magazine's 2006 Disabled Swimmer of the Year.
“Winning the Sullivan Award is a great honor for Jessica and truly well deserved,” said Julie O’Neill, head coach of the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Team. “There were many worthy nominees who also had fantastic performances in 2006, and to have a Paralympic athlete win the award for the first time among a group of such deserving finalists is a great milestone for Paralympic swimming and Paralympic sport as a whole.”
Recent winners of the Sullivan Award include: J.J. Redick (2005), Paul Hamm (2004), Michael Phelps (2003), Sarah Hughes (2002), Michelle Kwan (2001), Rulon Gardner (2000), Coco Miller (1999), Chamique Holdsclaw (1998) and Peyton Manning (1997

Giving it their best shot

By CRAIG CROSBY
Staff Writer Monday, May 28, 2007
Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE -- The game crept inside Ray McIntyre more than 40 years ago, and although diabetes took his leg, it never removed the game from his heart.
Feeling, and maybe even fearing, the limits of playing without a left leg, McIntyre's clubs were put aside for two years until Friday, when his will to play finally found an outlet. There he was on the driving range at Waterville Country Club, surrounded by friends and fellow amputees, feeling more alive than he has in years.
"The big thing I missed is getting out with the guys and doing guy things," said McIntyre, who lives in Waterville. "You can't sit around; I found that out. There's no percentage in that. These people taught me that."
Maine's first-ever National Amputee Golf Association First Swing Seminar and Learn to Golf Clinic, sponsored by the Waterville Amputee Support Group, drew at least 25 amputees from around the state, many of whom, like McIntyre, were picking up the clubs for the first time in years. For the others it was their first foray into the sport.
"It's getting back to the love of the game you always had if you played before," said Kim Collett, physical therapist and event organizer. "It's a distraction; it's an activity you enjoy; it's getting your life back."
The free clinics are led by golfers from the National Amputee Golf Association. Instructors teach adaptive golf techniques to people with disabilities, and also train therapists, golf pros and others in teaching the techniques.
"That's the best part for me," said Tom Quinn of Warren, member of the Eastern Amputee Golf Association and head instructor. The 15 therapists and professionals who took Quinn's class Friday will pass their new knowledge along so that others can enjoy the sport, Quinn said.
The class teaches the three pillars of golf: balance, grip and swing. These are the same skills all golfers must learn, but Quinn's class gave an overview of equipment and special techniques specifically designed for people with disabilities.
"It's just different ways for these folks," said Quinn, who lost both legs in the Vietnam War. "It's doing the same thing in a different way."
Betty Furman of Oakland was part of the Maine State Women's Golf Association at one time, but had not played in three years after losing her left leg to an illness. She remembered on Friday why she loves the game so much.
"I'm excited," she said. "I've got to get back out there. I can see today I really can hit the ball. I know it's going to take some time to get back and learn to how to use all of my clubs, but it's a challenge."
Furman, like the other golfers at Friday's clinic, said she was particularly inspired by the presence of Abby Spector, the Maine golf legend who three years ago nearly lost her life a few days after surgery to repair a congenital hole in her heart. Spector temporarily lost her vision, memory, and motor skills, and spent several months in rehabilitation.
"Golf is great thing everyone can enjoy," Spector said. "You can see today, everyone can hit the ball. A lot of it is supporting and getting them to try and keeping them balanced."
"Someone as good as her -- man, she was the best there was," McIntyre said of Spector. "She's trying so hard."
Spector's encouragement made it impossible for Jesse Cartee of Fairfield to sit on the sideline. He decided to attend at the last minute to be with his friends from the Waterville Amputee Support Group. A double amputee who lost his legs because of poor circulation, the 10 years of rust wore off quickly when Cartee began driving the ball down the fairway.
"I hit some pretty good shots down there," he said with a smile.
Scott Hebert, prosthetist and orthotist for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics of Waterville, helps design equipment that empowers amputees to play golf and accomplish other life endeavors. Friday, however, Hebert's primary role was supporting and laughing with his friends.
"I'm just here to help support fellow amputees and give them a chance to experience what a lot of able-bodied people do," Hebert said. "These folks are totally capable of doing this stuff. It's just a matter of getting out there and doing it."
McIntyre was a member at the Waterville Country Club for more than 10 years.
"It feels great to swing," he said. "It's great to see everybody and get out here. Everyone just wants to hit the ball."

Craig Crosby -- 861-9253
ccrosby@centralmaine.com

Amherst surgeon takes skills, good deeds to new heights

By Katie Reedy NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 05/28/07 6:50 AM

Plastic surgery is not always for vanity.
For Dr. Jeffrey Meilman, an Amherst-based cosmetic surgeon, it is a way to help destitute patients worldwide.
Meilman, who travels abroad annually to perform free surgeries in developing nations, recently returned from his latest trip, this time to the village of Juliaca, Peru.
“It was pretty primitive,” said Meilman, who set up a clinic for two days in order to operate on children with cleft lips and palates. Out of the 60 families that came to the clinic, Meilman’s group was able to operate on 12 of the worst cases. One 18-year-old young man who was badly burned when he was 6 will travel to Buffalo in October for more surgery.
Alexander and Ursula Campanella, of Campanella Orthotics and Prosthetics, accompanied Meilman on the trip in order to donate $15,000 worth of supplies, including back and knee braces and prostheses. The group gave another $15,000 worth of surgical supplies, such as sutures and drills, to the local hospital.
Alexander Campanella, who has traveled with Meilman on trips to Poland, Albania, Nepal, Herzegovina, and Nigeria, said that this trip stood out among the many others he has taken.
“It was very strange because of the high altitude,” he said of the location, which was more than 12,000 feet above sea level. “It was a little frightening, having to sleep where you can barely breathe.”
Campanella said that members of the 12-person crew carried two suitcases each, one for personal belongings and one for medical supplies. He and many of the other volunteers paid their own expenses.
Campanella, an orthopedic surgeon, also assisted in the rehabilitation in 2005 in Buffalo of then 8-year-old Izabela Baketaric of Bosnia, on whose burns Meilman worked for 20 hours, by repairing her damaged feet. Meilman, who founded the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation, has led trips to do free surgeries for the last 15 years. He began the missions when he went to Poland to help a woman burned in an accident. He has brought many patients back to Buffalo for treatment.
“A lot of towns and villages have asked us to come back, but so far we haven’t been able to,” he said, citing the hundreds of requests his foundation gets from poor regions.
However, they may make an exception and return to Juliaca in the fall or next year. “It was a ver nice experience for everybody involved,” he said.
kreedy@buffnews.com

Around-the-world bike ride will bring attention to amputees

By Drake Lucas THE EAGLE-TRIBUNE (NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.) NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. —
Daniel Sheret is an amputee who considers himself lucky his leg was amputated below the knee, he had the benefit of a good surgeon and he has access to a $14,000 prosthetic leg that allows him to participate in cross-country bike rides.

He is dedicating the next year of his life to raising awareness for amputees in other countries where up-to-date equipment is unavailable and land mines make the threat of amputation common.
Sheret, 45, sets off June 1 to ride his bike around the world for a year.
"My prostheticist told me I had a responsibility to help other people. He said I had a debt to pay and he was right," Sheret said.
Sheret's foot was amputated in 2002, two years after it didn't heal from a jump he made off a 3-foot fence that broke his leg while he was living in Oregon.
That was the catalyst for Sheret to leave behind a job of furniture-making and turn to work as a prosthetic and orthotic technician.
He also has ridden his bike across the United States and parts of Europe.
Sheret, who now lives in North Carolina, stopped in North Andover last week to meet with Bob Emerson, his former boss at Lifestyle Prosthetics and Orthotics in North Andover.
Emerson, an amputee since the age of 9, is creating Sheret's foot for the trek, making careful predictions about weight Sheret might lose as well as muscle he will build during the ride.
Emerson also is an athlete, a skier on the national team.
"It's a daunting task in a lot of ways. Look at what he is tackling, pounding the pavement for a long time," he said. "It would be fascinating to take time out and have that meaning. It's pretty powerful."
Emerson also is going to be involved with another cause that Sheret wants to highlight with his ride: the need for prostheses in Iraq.
Rotary groups, mostly based in the Washington, D.C., area, are collecting prostheses to donate to amputees from Basra, Iraq. The Rotary has set up an exchange in Amman, Jordan. It also will have a clinic at the hospital where people can come from Iraq to Jordan to be fitted for prostheses and trained in using them.
At last count, the Rotary found that 5,000 people in the Basra region alone needed prostheses. Many were the victims of land mines planted by Iraq's former leader, Saddam Hussein.
Ted Hamady, co-chairman of the Basra Project, said he hopes the project will be long term and spread to help people in other countries, including amputees in Lebanon.

to read more visit:

http://www.news-tribune.net/features/cnhinshealth_story_148235752.html

Real Life Prosthetics Returns to Barranquilla, Colombia for Humanitarian Aid

Each year, the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team conducts a two-day humanitarian mission, traveling to the remote mountain village of Barranquilla in Colombia, South America. There, the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team uses its skills and donated resources to help restore the bodies and spirits of amputees who would otherwise face bleak futures and lifetimes of severe disability.
The patients travel too‹ some by bus, some by mule‹ for hours or even days across the rugged terrain to receive treatment from Real Life Prosthetics. Many of the amputees have lost a limb, or two, due to conditions that might seem incredible to those living beyond the Third World. For example, Martha Dabila's leg was amputated due to poor medical treatment after a fall. Mr. Altozar lost his right leg below the knee due to infection from snakebite. Martha Luz's leg was amputated because of lack of medical care following an accident.

Real Life Prosthetics, known for cutting-edge prosthetics work that utilizes highly advanced technology, completes its work under less than ideal conditions in the tiny South American village. International travel and portability limitations restrict the technology and tools available to the team, so they make do. Facilities are rudimentary at best, so they perform gait analysis in a hallway, and they fabricate sockets and joints in any empty room available.

To defray cost, the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team contributes its time, skills and materials and uses donated supplies: prosthetic feet from the World Limb Bank, prosthetic components made available by the Maryland Amputee Network, and ICEX sockets and liners provided by Össur.

To facilitate patient communications, the team relies on local interpreters, medical personnel and ministry groups.

Despite these constraints, the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team gets the job done. During its whirlwind annual two-day mission, the team provides new limbs for 12-15 patients. It also conducts one-year follow-ups for an equal number of past patients. Since 2001, the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team has provided free treatment and prosthetics to more than 60 patients.

Moreover, the mission reaches beyond the physical needs of its patients. The expertise of the Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team helps patients vanquish hopelessness, and its compassion helps them defeat fear, as they begin the process of healing body and spirit.

According to Jonas Seeberg, president of Real Life Prosthetics, the annual mission seeks to follow the same philosophy that is practiced at the Real Life Prosthetics office at home in Abingdon, Maryland.

"We strive to treat the whole person, body and spirit," he explained. "We want to address the physical needs of the patients, so they can live more productive lives, but we also want to bring them compassion and hope for the future. For many of these people it's the first time in a long time that they have been treated with respect and dignity."

The 2007 Real Life Prosthetics Global Missions Team consisted of Jonas Seeberg, Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist, Chuck Fleming, Technician, and Greg Michalov, Certified Prosthetist.

Climber determined to top the Matterhorn on his prosthetic legs

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Jerod Minich learned to walk on two prosthetic legs.

"My parents still have my first little set," he said. After he fell gravely ill as an infant and a doctor finally diagnosed juvenile diabetes, his parents drove him directly to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. It was a three-hour drive.

"On the way I went into a coma,"he said. "By the time we arrived the circulation in my legs had stopped. They were completely black."

Minich was 11 months old then, and losing both legs below the knee set his life path. At 18 he studied to become a registered prosthetic technician.

Twenty years later, he feels as comfortable in his studio at Hanger Orthotics & Prosthetics in East Stroudsburg as he does at home with his wife Heidi and two children. In his boyhood he spent lots of time around prosthetists because he needed "revisions," which involved shaving his growing bones so the skin around them could heal and grow back.

Today Minich can lift one of his own vacuum-assisted legs, each with a College Park Venture Foot, onto a work surface and diagnose and repair everything about it.

His disability also made him a rock and ice climber.

"I hate when people tell me I can't do things," Minich said. "I have to set out to prove them wrong."

Though he lives in Henryville, Pa., his avocation frequently brings him to Allamuchy State Park to rock-climb with partner Barry Rusnock, founder of Riverview Outdoor Adventures and Clinics in Hackettstown. Rusnock said at the beginning of every climb he watches Minich study the route and think about what he can bring to the process.

"My friend is a real inspiration to me," Rusnock said, "especially when I start to dwell on my shortcomings and begin to feel sorry for myself."

Minich enjoys practicing a 40-foot ascent on Allamuchy Mountain, but not as much as he loves ice climbing.

"Rock climbing is something to keep me in shape between ice climbing seasons," he said. "At the top of an ice climb, there's just a feeling up there."

In some ways having no legs can be an advantage on ice, he said. His feet don't get cold. His calves don't get tired, either, when he lifts his legs and digs his cramp-ons into the ice to get traction. If he had two anatomical legs, he doubts he would have the drive to climb, or even the ambition to wrestle in high school or become a national powerlifting champion in his 20s.

All in all, Minich said he has a lot to be happy about. He considers himself lucky never to have known what he is missing, to have knees and hip joints and to be alive in the age of computer-aided prostheses.

His disabilities do not concern him as much as his abilities. He wants to really test them. It felt good to place sixth of 65 in the 2006 Extremity Games in Florida last year. But Minich wants to take on big mountains. He wants to climb the 14,693-foot Matterhorn in Switzerland with Rusnock next year.

The only thing holding him back, he said, is money. It is difficult to raise. His double amputation did not stem from a public athletic accomplishment, or combat story. Minich was a kid who grew up on a beef farm and had a tough break. His life, though remarkable, is quiet.

"All mountaineers dream about bigger projects," Rusnock said, "and Jerod is no different than the rest of us."

More: Anyone who wants to contribute to Jerod Minich's dream of climbing the Matterhorn can do so by making a check payable to "Extremity Events Network," a nonprofit group. Be sure to write "The Jerod Minich Matterhorn Expedition" on the check and mail it to Extremity Events Network, 17505 Helro Drive, Fraser, Mich. 48026.

To reach Jerod Minich, email Minich2@verizon.net.



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"Human Interests" appears every Thursday. In each column Lorraine Ash explores interesting angles on local life that may otherwise escape attention. Reader mail is welcome at lvash@gannett.com.

Amputee embraces adventure of life

By STEVE BROWNLEE, Journal Staff Writer



MARQUETTE — The worst day of Jon Tapio’s life could’ve been his last — but instead it simply set him on a different course for the last 23 years.

Hit by nearly 14,000 volts of electricity when he fell into a transformer in Alaska in 1984 at age 19, Tapio lost both his lower legs, but none of his spirit.

Though he took several years to get his life back on track, the Republic resident has maintained a normal life for someone in his early 40s.

Tapio, 41, has been married more than a decade, and he and wife Kimberly have two pre-teen children. He is in his second stint working at the Marquette location of Wright & Filippis, a company with about 30 locations in Michigan that serves all types of needs for the disabled.

Tapio is physically very active — he’s an avid hunter and fisherman, snowshoer and trapper, bowler and golfer. And that’s just a few of the things that he doesn’t let a disability get in the way of.

“I’ll try just about anything,” he said. “I’ve tried cross-country skiing, but I didn’t particularly like it.

“I want to try rock climbing. It’s something I did as a teenager.”

He’s a big proponent of U.P. AIR, which stands for Upper Peninsula Achieving Independent Recreation.

He rattled off its activities scheduled for this summer, including hand cycling, bocce ball, golf, water skiing, kayaking and several general-interest events.

While involved with the group, he credits several of his Wright & Filippis co-workers for its success.

“Lynn Vanwelsenaers and Stephanie Jones — they’re the ones that started U.P. AIR and keep everything organized,” Tapio said. “I just like to come out and take part.

“Its main mission is to get people active again.”

He explained that the loss of a limb or of past abilities can be like a death in the family.

“It’s really easy to get depressed — I mean, you grieve for what you’ve lost,” he said. “Everybody has to deal with it on their own, in their own way.”

That includes people who’ve suffered strokes and heart attacks, not just those who lost limbs, been paralyzed or were born with some sort of physical challenge.

At Wright & Filippis, Tapio is a registered orthotic technician, and he’s working on his orthotist certification. That’s interesting, because orthotics works with “limbs that are there,” as Tapio put it, rather than what he uses — prosthetics, or artificial limbs.

“I’m their resident guinea pig,” Tapio said about Wright & Filippis prosthetists Vanwelsenaers and Jones.

Specialized boots that help people of all ages walk more easily are among the most common devices Tapio works with.

“I feel like I’m uniquely gifted to help people,” he said. “Not because I feel bad for them, but I feel empathy for what they’re going through.”

Despite “dying” eight times in the first hours after his 1984 accident — that’s how many times he was told his heart had to be restarted — being burned over 80 percent of his body and having to go through months of rehabilitation in Seattle, he felt lucky.

“They were waiting for me to die,” he said. “And they wanted to take my right arm, but I wouldn’t sign off on that. Now that arm is stronger than my left.”

Tapio said he also felt fortunate that he had a good motivation for working hard toward his recovery during several months of rehabilitation in the summer of 1984.

“Four days after I got out of the hospital, I went out pheasant hunting. It’s something I really like to do, so it really motivated me to keep going,” he said.

After working at Wright & Filippis from 1988 to 1995, he took time off for 11 years to raise his children at home, deciding to come back last September.

“I love working here,” he said. “It’s giving back — it’s what Wright & Filippis gave to me. They’re counselors and they’re mentors.”

He said he’s a changed person, not because of what he’s missing, but because of what the near-death experience added to his life.

“Everyone has challenges — this just happens to be mine.”

Delivering messages of hope - Amputees face obstacles, fight for fulfillment of dreams

By Roger McBain (Contact)
Sunday, May 20, 2007

Among them, the three featured athletes in Saturday's 5K Hero's Race/Walk were missing an arm and five legs.

The way they tell it, they're not that different from anyone else who turned out to participate in or cheer on the 125 people who walked and ran in the Habitat For Humanity fund-raiser at HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital on Covert Avenue.

"We all face obstacles and challenges," said Dana Bowman, a former Army Ranger and Special Forces member who lost both legs in a 1994 free-fall practice with the Army's Golden Knights parachute team.

"The big message is not to give up," he said.

Bowman wore high leather jump boots on high-tech prosthetic legs, one of them controlled by a computer processor inside, when he parachuted from 3,500 feet to land within yards of three silver balloons tied down in a grassy area next to the hospital.

He didn't run in the race, but he introduced two members of his team, sponsored by Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, who ran the event on legs with long strips of springy metal in place of feet.

John Siciliano lost a leg in Pittsburgh in 1991 when a drunk driver struck the open Jeep in which he was a passenger.

Cameron Clapp was a 15-year-old surfer and skateboarder in Pismo Beach, Calif., when a freight train struck him, taking both legs and an arm.

"We're all here to show you what we can do with our abilities, not our disabilities," said Bowman.

All three men travel the country talking to all kinds of audiences, from veterans who've lost limbs to coliseums hosting sporting events to classrooms and auditoriums filled with children, like the hundreds of students the group met with in several Evansville appearances last week.

Siciliano's own injury was just one form of the unforeseen curves life may throw at any of us, he said.

"Tragedy is going to happen. It's how you deal with it; how you move ahead."

Clapp talks candidly to students about his own experience as both a cautionary tale and an inspiration.

Bad choices can have serious consequences, said Clapp. "For instance, there's me." When the train hit him, he said, "I was drunk and passed out on the tracks in front of my house."

His response to his injuries, however, reflects the kind of positive choices he hopes to inspire in those he encounters in classrooms or on the race course.

"Never let your challenges get in the way of your dreams," he said.

Clapp recovered from his injuries and found adaptive prosthetics that have allowed him enjoy an active life that includes golf, fishing, swimming and running. He competes in the swim portions of triathlons, and he runs in sprint races. Saturday's run was his first successful five-kilometer event, he said.

"It's all about goals," said Clapp. "I just achieved one of my goals today."

Money from Saturday's run raised about $7,000 toward Deaconess Health South's goal of $50,000. That's how much is needed to build a Habitat for Humanity home in September for Judy Jourdan, an Evansville woman who left her home in Eastbrook Mobile Home Park after the Nov. 6, 2005, tornado decimated her neighborhood.

Amputee teams make inspiring PPP runs

By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin
Published: May 20. 2007 5:00AM PST

Dennis Frazier, competing with a prosthetic leg, nearly dislocated his shoulder when he took a fall during the cross-country ski stage of Saturday's Pole Pedal Paddle race.

"He said his doctor is going to be (mad)," said Scott Peterson of Summit Prosthetics and Orthotics and Foot Fitness, which sponsored Frazier's team - Old Farts and Spare Parts - and the Incred ABLEs, two teams made up primarily of amputees competing in the PPP's Challenged division.

Frazier, 55, of Eugene, underwent surgery on his shoulder two months ago, but that didn't stop him from competing on the Old Farts and Spare Parts team. Frazier's teammates, mostly from Central Oregon, were Jeff Melville, 45, who competed in the alpine ski; Peter Loeffler, 55, who cycled down the mountain; Cameron Coker, 32, who paddled; and Mike Steele, originally from Bend but now of Crane, who sprinted to the finish.

All of the team's amputees are leg amputees.

Peterson explained that Frazier wiggled his shoulder back into place after it popped out of joint, hanging loosely at his side.

Frazier wasn't the only one from the amputee teams who was coming off a recent hospital visit. Steele, 57, and Shane Christensen, 17, of Redmond, both spent time in the hospital recently, Christensen just getting back on his feet in November after a year of cancer treatment and surgeries.

The 17-year-old high school senior had cancer in the tibia (shin bone), which is currently in remission. Last year, according to his mother, Ranea Christensen, Shane underwent an amazing and rare surgery, involving the placement of "the heal of his foot into his knee." Though this was his first PPP, he said he is inspired to compete in many more.

"Whatever I can do, there is no limit," Christensen said Saturday coming off the sprint finish clutching his crutches. Teammates Rick Cavens, Jeff Hancock, Ann Williams and Ken Cook greeted Christensen at the finish.

The Incred ABLEs clocked in at 3 hours, 23 minutes and 19 seconds. The Old Farts with Spare Parts finished in 3:37.28.

Katie Brauns can be reached at 383-0393 or at kbrauns@bendbulletin.com.

The Great British Duck Race attemps World Record

[May 21]London, UK/ THAME charity, The The Cambodia Trust, is to take part in the Great British Duck Race Guinness World record attempt. In taking part in the event, the Trust also hopes to raise £500,000 for UK charities.
The Duck Race will take place on the River Thames at Hampton Court Palace on September 02, when 165,000 rubber ducks will ‘race’ down a 1km stretch of the river. Anyone can ‘adopt’ a duck for £2, plus a recommended £3 donation to charity. The owner of the duck that crosses the finishing line first will win £10,000.

Guinness World Record
The World Record for a Duck Race is currently held by The Singapore Duck Race.
In 2001, they successfully sold and raced 123,500 ducks, raising $1,200,000 Singapore in the process.

The Great British Duck Race was launched in London on April 26, by TV presenter Gaby Logan. Aylesbury resident and Cambodia Trust supporter Rachel Madden represented the Trust at the launch. She said: "The Trust needs to raise £110,000 this year to keep its rehabilitation centres open in Cambodia. These centres provide artificial limbs and a helping hand out of poverty for thousands of landmine survivors and other disadvantaged disabled people. This is a great opportunity for the Cambodia Trust to raise much-needed funds. I’m encouraging my friends and family to support this local charity and adopt as many ducks as possible at www.thegreatbritishduckrace.co.uk!"

The Cambodia Trust was established in Thame in 1989 to provide support for Cambodia’s huge numbers of landmine survivors and other disadvantaged disabled people.
The Trust runs rehabilitation centres, community-based rehabilitation projects and an internationally accredited Prosthetics and Orthotics education centre in Cambodia, where students from Cambodia, Afghanistan, Iraq and other developing countries learn to make and fit artificial limbs.
The Cambodia Trust is a UK Registered Charity No. 1032476.

Crafting new limbs to help improve lives

Carlo Lira brings many skills to bear as a prosthetist-orthotist

By Mark Coleman
mcoleman@starbulletin.com

Carlo Lira took advantage of a family connection to make his move from California to Hawaii, where he has been a prosthetist-orthotist at Honolulu Orthopedic Supply for the past eight years.
Lira said his father, Vincent, who was in the business for 45 years, became friends with Honolulu Orthopedic owner Rodney Pang when the latter was in residency in Los Angeles.

"I was just a kid back then," Lira said, "but we kept in mind that I would be offered a job in Hawaii if I ever pursued the business, and, of course, I did."

Lira's education includes Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, Calif.; an associate of arts degree in prosthetics and orthotics at Cerritos Community College; a bachelor's degree in health-care management and human resources from California State University, Dominguez Hills; and certificates in the field from institutions such as UCLA and UC Riverside.

Prior to moving to Hawaii, Lira was working at Sunny Hills Orthopedic Services Inc., in Fullerton, Calif. He also has worked at UCLA, Loma Linda Center and a VA medical center in Los Angeles.

Lira moved to Hawaii, he said, because, " I really just wanted to get out of the rat race and find a slower, nicer environment for myself and my children. And I think I have."

Lira, 48, and his wife, Yolanda, have a son, 22, and a daughter, 19, and live in Mililani.

Lira's employer, Honolulu Orthopedic Supply, currently is located in Kapalama, but next month is moving to the Kakaako area.

Question: Do you have a job title?
Answer: Yeah. I'm a certified prosthetist-orthotist.

Q: What does it mean to be a prosthetist?

A: To be a prosthetist is, we do the replacement of a lost limb through artificial means. So we're basically doing prosthetic arms and legs.

Q: And what does an orthotist do?

A: An orthotist basically will fit and manufacture any type of orthopedic brace for the body.

Q: Like neck braces and such?

A: Back braces, foot braces, arm braces -- anything for the extremities and torso.

So they're both a little different (prosthetics and orthotics). Some of my colleagues are certified in both, but my boss (Rodney Pang) and myself have to be certified in both.

Q: Certified by whom?

A: Certified by a national board on the mainland called the American Board of Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics.

Q: How long have you been certified like that?

A: I'm currently 48, but I got certified as a prosthetist when I was around 30, and I got certified in orthotics when I was around 35.

Q: Do you have a workshop where you build these artificial limbs and braces?

A: Yes.

Q: What kinds of tools and materials do you need?

A: We have some basic hand tools, mostly machine shop-type tools or woodworking-type tools. And then we have some basic equipment like grinders, bandsaws and buffers.

Q: What about the materials?

A: The materials could be anything. We work with mostly plastic, so we work with thermal plastic and laminated plastic. Thermal is all the polyethylene, polypropylene ... And then the laminated plastics are more like fiberglass, carbon graphite.

We also work with various components, and some of the componentry we work with are aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, and carbon graphites.

Q: What is carbon graphite?

A: It's like a woven material. It's black in color and it's extremely hard -- bullet proof in some cases.

Q: It sounds like Kevlar.

A: Stronger than Kevlar. We work with Kevlar, too.

When we work with a custom socket, it could be any of those materials, but we also work with the componentry because it's one thing to fabricate a custom socket using all those materials, but we also utilize some premade stuff that we can combine.

Q: How sophisticated is the technology in the field these days? Is there a lot of electronics involved?

A: We're starting to get into a lot more of the microprocessor stuff. We're currently working with a prosthesis called a C-leg. It's a computerized leg, basically. It's got microprocessors in it, and there are signals that it can pick up, sent from the computer and the software. It's a "smart" leg. So we can do things like for walking speeds, or going up and down stairs or inclines.

Q: What about artificial limbs that respond to mind waves?
A: Uh, not completely. Somebody's working on that somewhere, but nobody is doing it as a practice. There have been attempts, but nothing solid yet.

Q: Do you have to work closely with your customers, to get measurements and such, or is it somewhat impersonal?

A: It's very personal. The patient comes to our office and there's an introduction. The patient always comes in with a prescription -- we're always filling prescriptions. So we're almost like a pharmacist or a physical therapist. Sometimes we make recommendations.

But anyway, we will measure, cast, fit and then fabricate. We do all the steps necessary to get a comfortable, accurate and functional brace or prosthesis.

Q: How long does it take you to build an artificial limb?

A: It can take us two to three weeks.

Q: Do you build these products by yourself or do other people help you?

A: We work as a team, and the department is broken up between clinicians and technicians. The technicians do most of the fabricating.

Q: So which are you?

A: I do all of it. (Laughter) I could do either one, but structurally we should have it that the technicians do all the fabricating work and the clinicians do the clinical work.

Q: What is the clinical work?

A: It's the actual hands on shaping, fitting and meeting all the specifications.

Q: How many other people do you work with?

A: I would say about 12. That's everything from secretaries to technicians and managers and clinicians.

Q: Do you have a lot of customers on the neighbor islands?

A: We do outer island clinics, because the neighbor islands don't have full services for prosthetics and orthotics. So we'll do clinics there, usually at medical centers throughout the islands.

Q: What do you mean "do a clinic"?

A: We do a clinic where the doctors have already coordinated with us that they will be sending patients to us, and then we go ahead and we start to build up our list of patients. We'll go in and evaluate and assess, make some recommendations, and provide our services, whether it's a prosthesis or a brace.

We also service all the local hospitals here, and a few convalescent homes as well. The hospitals call us to provide braces for some of their post-operative cases, like for somebody who has been in a car accident.

So we're really on the go around here.

Q: So what's the most common artificial limb that you have to work on?

A: The most common is the below-the-knee prosthesis, because of amputations. Most amputations are at that level because if that patient has diabetes, and has a gangrenous foot, the doctor wants to make sure they capture all the gangrene, so they amputate below the knee.

Q: Do most of your patients take this pretty well?

A: Well, that's a little hard to say. Some do, some don't.

Q: It must be pretty emotional sometimes.

A: It can be very emotional, so we do have to wear different hats. One of them, as far as getting into this business is, we do have to play psychologist.

But this is a strange field, because to get into this field, you have to be a craftsman, and have a medical background, and nowadays, a computer background, and also the human background, because you have to give these people hope that they're going to be OK, and that they can continue on with their illness or their deficiency. And we have to guarantee that our services are going to work.

Most of what we do is to rehabilitate the patient, to help them become ambulatory, to help them function again and go back to work. And occasionally we have a few patients that want to swim or even run, requiring special sports prosthetics. And we have all kinds of special prosthetic componentry to help with that.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Well, I've always liked working with my hands. I like building things, and I do like to do custom work and go off the beaten path, to be creative and manufacture something unique and special for the patient.

The other part of that is you have to like people. You have to want to help people. We do a lot of that here, too.


"Hawaii at Work" features people telling us what they do for a living. Send suggestions to mcoleman@starbulletin.com

'You've got to live life'

By DOUG HARLOW, Staff Writer

FAIRFIELD -- Nothing is going to stop Yvonne Batson from pedaling for her dreams.
Batson, whose son Brendan was killed in 2001 while training for a bicycling fundraiser for the Make A Wish Foundation of Maine, will herself be biking for the cause again this year.

And she will be doing it this time with a prosthetic leg.

Batson, 47, suffers from a genetic disorder of the nervous system called neurofibromatosis, a disease her son Nathanael, 6, and daughter Corina, 18, also have. In Batson, the disease manifested itself in tumors, which led to the amputation of her right leg last year.

"My faith in God, that's what helps me get though it; it's my faith and the support from my friends and family," Batson said. "Every day is a blessing. I think I believed that before -- especially after Brendan died -- but every day is a gift and a blessing and you've got to live life because you only have one shot."

Batson's prosthetic leg is a computerized model called the C-Leg, distributed locally by Dale Conlin at Central Maine Orthotics & Prosthetics of Waterville. Conlin said it is the same model used by soldiers returning home from Iraq.

"It's a computer-generated leg," Conlin, 48, himself a lower leg amputee and former national and world disabled water-skiing champion. "It allows us to program the knee to respond to her natural gait patterns so we can have her walk and program the knee to match her gait on her natural side."

The knee of the artificial leg comes equipped with a port, much like a digital camera, which then connects to a laptop computer. The leg, which Batson received just before Christmas, is programmed into either the gait mode for walking or the free-swing mode for cycling.

It also allows her to walk downstairs and, most importantly this time of year, to climb on a bicycle and ride for charity.

This year's sixth annual bike ride Pedaling for Dreams is organized in memory of Brendan Batson and his friend Isaiah Desrosiers. It will be held on Saturday, June 2.

The event starts at the Church of the Resurrection, 36 Cool St. in Waterville. There is a 1-mile ride, which Batson said she will do, along with a 6-mile ride and a 26-mile ride.

"The event is a tribute to Brendan and Isaiah, and a fundraiser for the Make A Wish Foundation of Maine," Batson said. "Isaiah had leukemia and wished to go to Walt Disney World. Brendan saw what a powerful impact the wish had on Isaiah and wanted to honor his friend by raising money so other children could have their wishes fulfilled."

Batson said her daughter Corina, a first-year student at the Maine School for Science and Mathematics in Limestone, also was eligible for a wish in 2005.

"Corina's wish to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef and see kangaroos was magical and restorative for our whole family," she said. "And just this past February, our son Nathanael, who also has a brain tumor, received his wish to pet a dolphin at Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida."

Both Corina and Nathanael, a student at the Kennebec Montessori School in Fairfield, are legally blind, but both will be in the Pedaling for Dreams next month, their mother said.

All ages and riding abilities are welcome at the Pedaling for Dreams event, Batson said. Adult riders are asked to raise at least $50.

"We're doing this to raise awareness and for people with disabilities -- amputation or whatever -- to say you can still enjoy your life to the fullest," Batson said. "It doesn't have to mean the end of the world."

Doug Harlow -- 861-9244

dharlow@centralmaine.com

A new mission in life

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published May 9, 2007

LARGO - They said he would never walk again, but Gerald Lee Gregory Jr. proved them wrong when he walked across the stage Monday on a prosthetic leg to pick up his diploma.

Gregory, 45, was among 21 students who were the first to graduate with a bachelor's degree from St. Petersburg College's Orthotics and Prosthetics program.

It wasn't a path he planned. Ten years ago he was an auto worker, a blissfully married man. But a motorcycle accident on a New Hampshire road changed all that. It killed his wife and took most of his left leg.

The path eventually led him to Largo two years ago to start a new life helping others who find themselves suddenly stuck with an artificial limb. He figures his natural empathy will help. But so, most likely, will the life he's rebuilt: One that includes all-terrain vehicles, sailing and even motorcycle riding.

"As a human being, you have no limit on what you can do, " he said recently.

"It's here, " he said, tapping the side of his head.

* * *

His childhood in Illinois was the rural ideal. Granddad owned a boat landing and campground business where Gregory learned to love the water. Later he learned clarinet, basketball and baseball. By 16, he had his first motorcycle, a Honda that he rode to high school. And before long, he was working to pay for a '67 Camaro.

Gregory had reached 6 feet 6 inches when he graduated from high school in 1980, and he weighed about 250 pounds. A big man, he learned to speak softly and start the conversation.

"Most people look at me and think, 'Look at the size of this guy; I'm not going to talk to him, ' " he said.

A first marriage came and went in three years. Then in the winter of 1989, he met Mari, the love of his life, in a bar - "the place my mother told me I would never meet anyone nice, " he recalls.

He was 27 and she was 23, 5 feet 4, with a cherub's face and long blond hair. It took him three weeks to get a date.

He bought a little house in Decatur, Ill., and they were married in 1991. He worked second shift at an auto factory, troubleshooting cars that made it through the assembly line with problems. She worked as a licensed practical nurse. She loved gardening and their weekend trips on his Harley-Davidson.

"We just always tried to make our time together count, " he said. "And I guess it's a good thing we did, because we didn't get to stay together as long as I had hoped."

* * *

On June 11, 1997, the couple were in New Hampshire on vacation, riding the Harley.

"The last thing I remember asking her was where she wanted to eat dinner, " Gregory said.

Another motorcycle crossed into their lane, hitting them on their left side, he said. The impact crushed her chest on a guardrail, shoved his left hand into his arm and broke his left leg in 14 places.

The other motorcyclist was in a coma for weeks.

Mari died almost immediately. Gregory spent six weeks in the hospital. They saved his hand, but his left leg was amputated above the knee.

* * *

Nothing prepared him for what was ahead.

Considering his stature, doctors at first told him that no prosthetic could hold him, that he would need to use a wheelchair the rest of his life.

But they underestimated him. He insisted on being fitted for a new leg. And then he began the agonizing process of learning to use it.

"A prosthetic device fits you intimately, so it presses against parts of your body where you aren't used to it, " he said.

One medical staffer told him to "walk lightly" on his new limb. How was he supposed to do that?

It could have been so much better, he said. The help he needed, including physical therapy and a prosthetic, could have been coordinated at one facility. And he was left to find psychological help on his own.

The experience led to his current mission: to go into the business of prosthetics and orthotics, so he can help others with more sensitivity.

His schooling included hands-on work at several real-world sites, including Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetics in Clearwater. He's now seeking a residency to qualify for a license.

Taking a break after exams last week, he headed to the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, where he took a "Sailability" class last summer.

He had strapped on his "sea" leg, an older leg that he doesn't mind dunking in the seawater. He headed for a Hobe Wave catamaran. The air was hot and muggy. Other sailors stopped to chat. "That 72-degree water is going to feel good, " he said, when it splashed up on the boat.

Then he hauled the boat out, step by step, into the water and turned the red sail toward a small island offshore.

Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

One legged dancer dancing salsa

This is a must see youtube video.
You will not believe your eyes!

JJC considers adding orthotics program

May 6, 2007
By Ken O'Brien STAFF WRITER
JOLIET -- Some students at Joliet Junior College may be getting a new way to lend a hand.

But it will be in a physical way.

Administrators have proposed that the college start an Orthotics & Prosthetics Technology Program. Workers in the Orthotics & Prosthetics field help people by designing, fabricating and custom fitting orthopedic braces and artificial limbs.

On Tuesday night, the college board will vote on a request to offer an associates degree and certificates in related programs for Orthotics & Prosthetics Technology. Administrators also propose remodeling space in the college's technical building to create labs for the program.

Nationally, only seven colleges, including Northwestern University in Evanston, offer coursework in the field, said Glen Mazur, JJC's technical department chair. JJC students will be able to transfer to Northwestern to do advanced work in the field, which combines clinical and technical skills, he said. Students who earn a college degree in Orthotics & Prosthetics had a 100 percent employment rate in 2002, according to a survey by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics. A JJC brochure for the program says that graduates work in hospitals, rehab facilities, home health settings, with some specializing in pediatrics.

The percentage of Americans who need an orthopedic brace or an artificial limb is expected to grow by double digits from 2000 to 2020. Amputations in the country are expected to increase in the next decade and the need for back braces will continue as the baby boomers age into their 60s and beyond.

"There is such a need for this," Mazur said of an Orthotics & Prosthetics program.

"It is not about you needing a new leg, but you need a leg that allows you to hike and dance and have a better quality of life. They say one in four Americans are using braces or needing limbs.

"It is also an area, I have found, that everybody is interested, whether it is the Knights of Columbus or a Kiwanis Club or an individual. We're talking about things that benefit children, such as those born with a birth defect, returning vets and everyone of our grandmas and grandpas."

For the spring semester at JJC, a Northwestern professor taught an exploratory class in Orthotics & Prosthetics technology for 12 students, Mazur said. Those students, who have all landed a summer internship with a manufacturer in the Orthotics and Prosthetics field, and another 30 students are expected to be in the program in the fall, he said.

Teachers in the technical department expect that JJC will attract 100 students to its program for the fall 2008 semester, Mazur said. Plans call for adding a new staff member in the fall and a second for the spring semester, he said.

It could cost $100,000 to remodel space in the T-building in order to create a lab for Orthotics and a lab for Prosthetics, said David Agazzi, the vice president of administrative services at JJC.

Equipping the labs will cost at least $396,000 and the JJC Foundation will provide $200,000 from the recent donation of the late Vera Smith to cover equipment start-up costs for the first year, he said.

"Space is limited around here and I have two teachers who have offered to give up their lab to make room for this program," Mazur said. "I don't think you would see that at a lot of programs, but people think this is great."

The technical department plans to hold an open house about the new program on May 23. The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists has information about careers in the field at its web site, which is www.oandp.org.

Contact reporter Ken O'Brien at (815) 729-6119 or kobrien@scn1.com

New mission in life

A decade ago, a motorcycle accident took his left leg. No one knew how to help.
By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published May 6, 2007
LARGO - They said he would never walk again, but Gerald Lee Gregory Jr. will prove them wrong when he walks across the stage Monday on a prosthetic leg and picks up his diploma.

Gregory, 45, is among 21 students who are the first to graduate with a bachelor's degree from St. Petersburg College's Orthotics and Prosthetics program.

It wasn't a path he planned. Ten years ago he was an auto worker, a blissfully married man. But a motorcycle accident on a New Hampshire road changed all that. It killed his wife and took most of his left leg.

The path eventually led him to Largo two years ago to start a new life helping others who find themselves suddenly stuck with an artificial limb. He figures his natural empathy will help. But so, most likely, will the life he's rebuilt: One that includes all-terrain vehicles, sailing and even motorcycle riding.

"As a human being, you have no limit on what you can do, " he said recently. "It's here, " he said, tapping the side of his head.

* * *

His childhood in Illinois was the rural ideal. Granddad owned a boat landing and campground business where Gregory first learned to love the water. He later learned clarinet, played basketball and baseball. By 16, he had his first motorcycle, a Honda that he rode to high school. And before long, he was working to pay for a '67 Camaro.

Gregory had reached 6 feet 6 inches when he graduated from high school in 1980, and he weighed about 250 pounds. A big man, he learned to speak softly and start the conversation.

"Most people look at me and think, 'Look at the size of this guy; I'm not going to talk to him, ' " he said.

A first marriage came and went in three years. Then in the winter of 1989, he met Mari, the love of his life, in a bar - "the place my mother told me I would never meet anyone nice, " he recalls.

He was 27 and she was 23, 5 feet 4, with a cherub's face and long blond hair. It took him three weeks to get a date.

He bought a little house in Decatur, Ill., and they were married in 1991. He worked second shift at an auto factory, troubleshooting cars that made it through the assembly line with problems. She worked as a licensed practical nurse. She loved gardening and their weekend trips on his Harley-Davidson.

"We just always tried to make our time together count, " he said. "And I guess it's a good thing we did, because we didn't get to stay together as long as I had hoped."

* * *

On June 11, 1997, the couple were in New Hampshire on vacation, riding the Harley.

"The last thing I remember asking her was where she wanted to eat dinner, " Gregory said.

Another motorcycle crossed into their lane, hitting them on their left side, he said. The impact crushed her chest on a guardrail, shoved his left hand into his arm and broke his left leg in 14 places.

The other motorcyclist was in a coma for weeks.

Mari died almost immediately. Gregory spent six weeks in the hospital. They managed to save his hand, but his left leg was amputated above the knee.

The accident still hurts. "I'm a pretty big fellow, " he said, "and I couldn't stop what happened. I couldn't stop the injury to my wife that caused her death."

* * *

Nothing quite prepared him for what laid ahead.

Considering his stature, doctors at first told him that no prosthetic could hold him, that he would need to use a wheelchair the rest of his life.

But they underestimated him. He insisted on being fitted for a new leg. And then he began the agonizing process of learning to use it.

"A prosthetic device fits you intimately, so it presses against parts of your body where you aren't used to it, " he said.

One medical staffer told him to "walk lightly" on his new limb. How was he supposed to do that?

It could have been so much better, he said. The help he needed, including physical therapy and a prosthetic, could have been coordinated at one facility. And he was left to find psychological help on his own.

The experience finally led to his current mission in life: to go into the business of prosthetics and orthotics himself, so that he can help others in his situation with more sensitivity. His schooling included hands-on work at several real-world sites, including Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetics in Clearwater. He's now seeking a residency to qualify for a license.

He also figures he's a good example for those newly handicapped. Taking a break after exams last week, he headed to the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, where he took a "Sailability" class last summer.

He had strapped on his "sea" leg, an older leg that he doesn't mind dunking in the seawater. He headed for a Hobe Wave catamaran. The air was hot and muggy. Other sailors stopped to chat. "That 72 degree water is going to feel good, " he said, when it splashed up on the boat.

Then he hauled the boat out, step by step, into the water and turned the red sail toward a small island offshore.

Theresa Blackwell can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4170.

If you go

St. Petersburg College Graduation

The college's 103rd graduation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker is the commencement speaker. An estimated 635 graduates are scheduled to walk. Graduates will include 21 students receiving the first four-year degrees from the college's Orthotics and Prosthetics program.