Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wishes come true for Bi-Lateral above knee amputee who receives donations for new limbs!





Mrs. Felipa Ruiz, current resident of nine years and single mother of two (4 and 8 year old) kids and raising her nephew, whose been in a wheel chair since birth. Mrs. Ruiz has struggled to support her family and maintain her most recent job due to her current disability. Mrs. Ruiz is a bi-lateral Knee disarticulate amputee, due to a tragic train accident in Veracruz – Mexico at the age of two, Mrs. Ruiz has spent a lifetime not letting her disability to stop her from living a normal life of raising a family. Currently, her prosthetics are eleven years old and consistently break due to constant use from normal wear and tear. Mrs. Ruiz was forced to quit her job as a housekeeper. In tears, Mrs. Ruiz says “I had no choice but to live with my sister. I have resorted to selling poetry books to the Hispanic community in local nearby parks to make a small living to support my family.”




Here are photos of before and after prosthetics.



To make matters more difficult, Mrs. Ruiz has been a victim of domestic violence for several years and is the sole provider of her family. Until now, Mrs. Ruiz felt there was no hope of getting new prosthetics due to not being able to afford health insurance for her & her family. “Due to the economy and being a single mother of three, it’s difficult raising a family on my own and to also make a living with a worn out legs! I am a hard worker and I will do whatever it takes to support and raise my family,” says Mrs. Ruiz.

Mrs. Ruiz along with her advocate Esperanza Cervantes-Sanchez, from Family Ties of Nevada, has sought the support of Prosthetic Center of Excellence (PCE) on how we can help Mrs. Ruiz receive some new prosthetics that will allow her to go back to work and support her family.

Kevin Bidwell, Certified Prosthetist, expert fitter of prosthetics says, “When Felipa Ruiz came to see me about her situation, I was amazed about the determination she exuded. I knew that there had to be something we could do to support her needs. We were able to assemble donated parts, two new prosthetics legs for Mrs. Ruiz and help her to resume getting back to as normal life as possible. We at Prosthetic Center of Excellence want to support our community as much as possible and if people are willing to do whatever it takes to be a contribution to society, then we get to do whatever it takes to those who are seeking that kind of support!” PCE shares that this type of product and service runs about $45,000 for two above knee prosthetics.



Prosthetic Center of Excellence
A Nevada corporation that has been in practice since 1999, PCE has over 35 years experience in prosthetic and orthotics. They currently hold the ABC accreditation required by Medicare. PCE is one of a few O&P companies that has hospital contracts and provides educational seminars for both Healthcare professionals and the community. www.prostheticcenterofexcellence.com.

Please contact Bernabe Duran at 702-384-1410 for more information to schedule an interview and evaluation.

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