They're trained for war . . . and Wall Street

John Jones, who lost both legs in Iraq, is enrolled in a six-month brokerage course at Drexel Hamilton in Philadelphia. “The Marine Corps is just a big business with toys. I operated and managed 65 people,” he said. “If you can do that, there’s nothing you can’t do in a corporation.”

A Philadelphia firm prepares wounded veterans to become securities brokers. After all, anyone who's excelled in combat can surely brave the high-pressure world of finance -- even in these tough times.
By David Zucchino
March 14, 2009
Reporting from Philadelphia -- If you didn't know John Jones, you'd assume he was just another overworked securities trader, hustling across the sidewalk to wolf down a quick lunch in this city's financial district.

But when Jones sits down, his recent past is on full display. Titanium shins poke out from the cuffs of his dress slacks, revealing prosthetic legs. Jones was a Marine staff sergeant in Iraq in 2005 when a land mine blew off both legs below the knees.

Now he spends his days hunched over a desk, taking a crash course to become a licensed securities broker. Jones doesn't have a college education or a finance background, but he does have a wealth of experience as a leader and decision-maker in highly stressful situations.

At one point, his post-combat future came down to competing for a role as a wounded veteran on the soap opera "All My Children" -- he lost the final audition to a friend -- or braving the current Wall Street image of greed and recklessness to become a broker.

"It all boils down to morals: Do the right thing, keep your integrity intact," Jones said of his intention to join an industry blamed by many Americans for helping trigger the nation's economic collapse.


Jones and a fellow soldier, Army Master Sgt. George Holmes, are the first two students in a six-month course designed to train seriously injured veterans for finance industry jobs. The Philadelphia brokerage firm that runs the program was founded by a wounded Vietnam veteran who believes that anyone who excels in combat can flourish in the high-pressure world of Wall Street.

The timing may not seem opportune: The financial sector is in meltdown, the stock market is volatile, layoffs are rampant, and the public backlash against Wall Street is fierce and unsparing.

So why bring wounded veterans into this cauldron?

"These are the guys who sacrificed to keep us free. If you don't trust them, you don't trust anybody," said Lawrence Doll, the disabled Vietnam veteran who started the Drexel Hamilton brokerage.

The firm's program prepares wounded veterans for the two grueling exams required to become licensed securities brokers. If the veterans pass, they are guaranteed a job -- either with Doll's firm or another brokerage company -- buying and trading securities. The program pays for living, travel and instruction expenses, at a cost of roughly $19,000 per veteran.

Jones and Holmes, who beat out 15 others for the first two slots, are immersed daily in the ways of Wall Street. Most classes are held at Drexel Hamilton's 14th-floor office in a Philadelphia skyscraper, with weeklong field trips to the New York Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange and other places.

The two were honored Sunday at a securities conference at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where they were seated at dinner with T. Boone Pickens, the Texas billionaire financier. Pickens offered both men jobs.

Drexel Hamilton is dominated by brokers who serve in the Pennsylvania National Guard. They use terms like "boots on the ground" to describe field trips and "basic training" to describe the course.

"Guys with MBAs from the Ivy League can only wish they had the kind of in-depth training these two guys are getting," said Harry J. Gobora III, a retired National Guardsman and the firm's chief operating officer.

Holmes, 37, has an MBA and worked as a credit analyst for a bank and a credit-rating agency while also serving in the National Guard. He volunteered for tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was badly wounded in a rocket attack in 2008.

Two soldiers next to him were killed, he said. His femoral artery gushed blood "like a fountain" before he clamped down on it with his hand. His arm bones were shattered, his eardrums perforated, his leg ripped open and his neck torn by shrapnel. Scars dot his neck.

After at least 10 surgeries on his right arm, Holmes is still learning to grasp items. He shakes hands and types with his left hand. He sometimes has to strain to hear phone conversations and instructor's comments. He has occasional memory lapses that he suspects were caused by the rocket blast.

When he first heard about the training program, Holmes "was in the hospital bed thinking, well, I'm wounded. I don't have a job," he said. "If I go back to banking, read the headlines: Thousands of people in banking looking for jobs. So I was in a tough spot."

After seven years away from finance, Holmes slowly is mastering the intricacies of Wall Street trading. Despite the current unsavory reputation of bankers and traders, Holmes said, he wants to apply the professionalism and leadership he learned in the Army to his new field.

"In the military, there's a code you live by, and that can translate to the civilian world," he said.

click here for continued story

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.

Following Her Dreams

By JOYCE McKENZIE
jmckenzie@tampatrib.com
Published: March 11, 2009

EAST TAMPA - The life of Sarah Reinertsen has been a series of trials and triumphs. Fortunately for her, the feats far override the failures.

The New York City native likes to tell people she was born "different" 33 years ago.

When just a toddler she was diagnosed with a left leg deformity called proximal femoral focal deficiency, a condition in which her left leg was markedly shorter than her right leg. She wore a stiff leg brace until age 7, when her parents opted for surgery to amputate her leg.

From that point on she strived to be just like her friends. She was a Brownie, an outstanding student and tried hard to compete in sports alongside her classmates.

Regardless, she remembers always being the last person to be picked for a team and still finds it hard to erase the memory of being told by her soccer coach to kick a ball against a wall alone while her peers played the game.

Reinertsen's self-esteem soared and her future was formed, however, at age 11 when she was introduced to track and field sports specifically designed for those who are physically challenged. For the first time in her life she learned how it felt to experience the joy of victory.

At 13 she broke the 100-meter world record for female above-the-knee amputees.

"That was really neat because after my amputation my doctors told me I'd never run again," said Reinertsen, as she spoke recently at the All People's Life Center to a group of disabled athletes who are members of BlazeSports Tampa Bay.

Reinertsen, who serves as a national spokeswoman for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, was invited by the Florida chapter of the nonprofit organization that raises money to help people with physical disabilities pursue active lifestyles through fitness and competitive sports.

"I learned from a very young age that for me to keep up I've always had to be tougher than the rest," Reinertsen told the mainly female audience bent on her every word and movement as she strolled back and forth across the gym floor.

Reinertsen shared with them the fact that as a young teenager she began to seriously test her talent and tenacity.

She went on to take part in other competitions that landed her a spot as the youngest member of the 1992 U.S. Paralympics team at age 17 and the chance to compete against other world-class disabled athletes in Barcelona, Spain.

Butsomething unexpected occurred.

"Just as I left the starting line at the start of the race I tripped. I was devastated," Reinertsen said. "I quit. I thought what was the point of trying?"

So, she enrolled at George Washington University and it wasn't long before she was aware of how tight her clothes had become and how sluggish she felt.

During that time she happened to watch a TV program about the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race - a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

"I wanted to do that," she said. "But I didn't know how to ride a bike, I couldn't swim and I could only run two laps around the track."

She began running in marathons and even completed a New York City Marathon. She took out a membership at a local pool and purchased swimming gear. But it was six months before she went in the water due to her embarrassment of having to remove the prosthetic leg in the presence of others.

Reinertsen purchased a used mountain bike but, too afraid to ride it in the New York City traffic, enlisted the advice of a bike store clerk for riding lessons. When that idea failed she decided to buy a stationary cycle she could train on at home.

For her graduate studies she moved to Southern California where she bought her first "real" bike and in 2003 she participated in her first triathlon.

"I was ecstatic," Reinertsen said. "When I crossed that finish line I finally became a triathlete."

Another First

Then, in 2004, she chartered into territory where no woman amputee had been before - the Ironman championship in Kona, Hawaii. However, she was disqualified when she failed to meet the bike cut-off time by 15 minutes.

She returned the following year and completed the race in a little more than 15 hours.

"Whatever it is that your want to do, hold onto your dreams and with dedication and perseverance you will get there," she told the audience.

Reinertsen was also the first female amputee to compete on the CBS show "The Amazing Race" in 2006.

"I still want to ride a bike across the U.S. That's a goal of mine before I die," said Reinertsen, who was also in town to compete in the Gasparilla Marathon.

Vicki Hayes, the mother of BlazeSports athlete Karlee Hayes, 17, who has cerebral palsy, was impressed with Reinertsen's achievements at such a young age.

"It goes to show you how strong the human spirit can be," she said. "It shows kids that have a disability they can do whatever they set out to do."

Wheelchair-bound Karlee also liked the presentation.

"It's different from anything I ever heard," said the Gaither High 10th-grader.

Kelly Parker of Lakeland, the mother of 8-year-old leg amputee Casey, thought Reinertsen's message contained a lot of good food for thought.

"It was emotional, inspiring and motivational," Parker said. "It also showed me I need to back off a little."

"We're learning more and more every day and now we've seen her Reinertsen," said Casey's dad, Michael. "It gives us hope for Casey."

Reinertsen's autobiography, "In a Single Bound," will be out in September.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849.

Seven-year-old double amputee becomes future US Paralympic hope thanks to new 'Blade Runner' prosthetic legs

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:25 PM on 10th March 2009
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Seven-year-old Cody McCasland has become one of the the US's brightest Paralympic hopes after having artificial sprinting legs fitted like 'Blade Runner' athlete Oscar Pistorius.
Sports fan Cody, who dreams of winning a gold medal in the games, was born without any tibia or knee bones, and had both lower legs amputated as a toddler.

Despite his disability he is already proving himself an amazing athlete with a busy schedule of running, swimming, football, golf, karate and ice hockey as well as being a boy scout, playing the piano, hand-cycling, rock climbing, kayaking, learning to jet-ski and even fly a plane.



Cody McCasland is already racing against able-bodied children, and hopes to compete in the Paralympics when he is older

Mother Tina McCasland, 36, said: 'We've always said whatever Cody wants to do, we will do our best to let him have that opportunity. He won't let his disability hold him back.'

Mrs McCasland and husband Mike, 37, an internet manager, from Colleyville, Texas, hope to bring Cody to London in 2012 so he can watch the Paralympics for himself, in the hope he will run and swim for his country at future games.
The determined seven-year-old, who is already gaining good times for his age range, said: 'I'd love to compete in three year's time at swimming.

'I definitely will take part one day and win a gold medal.'
Cody, who suffers from a rare condition called Sacral Agenesis, was born six weeks prematurely, and doctors had warned his parents that he might not live.

Children with the condition usually suffer from a number of difficulties including kidney problems and Cody had to undergo the first of his 15 operations at just three days old.
Over the next two years he faced operations for a dislocated hip, stomach, gall bladder and intestinal problems, a hernia, as well as treatment for breathing difficulties and asthma.

Mr and Mrs McCasland, who also have a daughter Callie, two, were warned by a specialist in Texas that Cody might need both lower legs amputated to give him the chance of walking with prosthetic legs.
Social worker Mrs McCasland said: 'He said the right leg was missing a tibia and knee cap.
'The fibula was not enough to support Cody's leg and without a knee, he could not bend it.
'His legs just curved round to the side when he was sitting and it just kind of got in his way.



'His left leg, looked more normal, but the knee did not bend. We were told there may be a chance of surgery to fix that leg but there was no guarantee of success.'
The couple decided to take Cody to see another specialist in Philadelphia who discovered that there were no tibia or knee bones in either of his legs, leading to a double amputation at just 15 months old.

When he was fitted for his first prosthetic legs two months later, he shocked his parents and doctors by managing to stand and walk on them the same day.

'Hardly anyone takes to prosthetics so well,' said Mrs McCasland. 'It was amazing - it was as if Cody had just been waiting for the chance to have new legs so he could walk. He was so pleased with himself.'
Over the next few months, his family gradually increased the amount of time Cody wore his legs so by the time he went to kindergarten he could wear them all day.

Now the seven-year-old has several pairs of legs, generously provided by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, a specialist limb centre, including ones called stubbies for sitting and playing, walking legs and blades for running.

'They are very expensive and Cody seems to outgrow them all the time,' said Mrs McCasland.

'We're very lucky that we have this specialist centre which provides the running legs, as health insurance doesn't do that. The legs are not available to people in many areas.'
Cody added: 'In my walking legs I can take big steps. In my running legs I can run very fast and jump on one leg.
'In my stubbies I like to play and climb in the playground.'
Thanks to his prosthetics, Cody takes part in activities with other children in his class and already beats some of them at running.
He is a member of his school swimming team, competing against able-bodied youngsters despite using just his arms.

Mr McCasland said: 'With the help of Challenged Athletes Foundation Cody will be able to travel to other areas and compete against others like himself at a higher level.
'Each year we take him to the Endeavour Games which is an international competition for children and adults with disabilities. He won gold medals in the 60m and 100m sprints this year and gained a fast enough time to enable him to compete in the National Junior Youth Disability Championships.'

Cody currently races against youngsters with just one artificial leg, but double amputees hope there will be a reclassification, allowing them to have their own category in the sport.
He ran 60m last year in 20.03 seconds, and 100m at 33.41 seconds, when he was just six years old. This means he was only five or six seconds behind single amputee record-holders aged nine.
Cody's times at freestyle swimming and back stroke are already impressive at around 30 seconds and 43.63 seconds. He has knocked 30 seconds off his freestyle time since starting swimming last June and is now only a short way behind the nine-year-old record holder.
He has already met his sporting hero, triathlete Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a double amputee who has competed in two Paralympics by the age of just 20.
The courageous youngster, who wants to become a doctor when he is older, said: 'I'm a non-stop runner and no-one can keep up with me.
'I'd also love to swim in a race against Michael Phelps or Rudy Garcia-Tolson one day.'
Cody's amazing achievements as a double amputee are inspiring numerous others from disabled children, to soldiers who have lost limbs in Afghanistan or Iraq.
'We receive lots of requests from people wanting to meet Cody,' revealed Mrs McCasland. 'It really is incredible to see this little boy walking up to grown men and telling them they can do all the things he does.
'Soldiers are just like big heroes to Cody, so he is so excited to meet them. And in a way he's a little hero to them too.'
The young athlete has even inspired the creation of Team Cody, a group of fundraisers who compete in marathons, already raising $95,000 for the Texas Scottish Rite Children's Hospital.
Team Cody has also raised $4,000 for the Challenge Athletes Foundation, which helps disabled sportspeople.

'As long as Cody enjoys his sports, we'll go on supporting him,' said Mrs McCasland. 'We hope his story helps other kids and adults, and spreads the message that disabled people can do all these things.'

Prosthetic leg makes dog Cassidy a medical pioneer living in Delray Beach

By LONA O'CONNOR

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, March 06, 2009

Cassidy the dog was on his last legs - three of them, to be exact. He was featured on a morning television show, scheduled to be euthanized in 48 hours, mangy and bony from living on the street.

"They were looking for morons that want to adopt a dog," said Steve Posovsky, a Queens, N.Y., dentist with a self-deprecating sense of humor. "So I drove to Manhattan and took him home."

Since Cassidy met Posovsky, 61, his fortunes have been on the rise.

Posovsky and his wife Susan, who spend most of the year on the ocean in Delray Beach, made it their quest to find an artificial leg for Cassidy, who lost his right rear leg before he was adopted.

Cassidy got his leg and has become a pioneer in animal surgical annals, with a prosthetic that is actually part of his body. The scientists who worked on him are hoping the technique might someday be used on humans.

Online research and talking to veterinarians led Posovsky to Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Durham, N.C. The veterinarian had already implanted prosthetics in living bone tissue on two cats. The procedure is called osseointegration, and in humans the most common example is tooth implants.

The base of the leg was permanently installed in Cassidy's thighbone, where bone and titanium implant grew together as one. The lower part of the leg screws into the titanium base.

Dr. Ola Harrysson, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, worked on the mechanical aspects of building a titanium implant with a "circuit breaker," a system of strong magnets that separate if the remaining portion of the dog's natural leg is in danger of breaking.

Cassidy, who had thrown off external prosthetics, did not take well to the implant. So the Posovskys tried the prosthetic on him for just a few minutes a day. If Cassidy accepted this artificial leg, the NCSU team would provide him with a permanent version they were working on.

"Around Thanksgiving, he just woke up one morning and started using it," said Steve Posovsky.

On Monday, Cassidy and the Posovskys head back to North Carolina for a final version of the leg, resembling the curved carbon-fiber "C-legs" used by amputee runners. It will add a more natural spring to Cassidy's step than the training leg, which operates like a stiff spring-loaded telescopic tube.

The surgery and cost the Posovskys about $6,500 plus travel and other costs, with the university absorbing as research costs the many hours of trial and error.

The team at NC State hopes that their work will contribute to worldwide efforts to improve prosthetics, but for now, Marcellin-Little describes it as "only one piece of the puzzle."

Harrysson is working on projects benefitting humans, including a spinal cage for use in surgery on damaged vertebral discs, as well as polymer implants that gradually dissolve as new bone grows around them.

Ultimately, if veterinary techniques can be adapted, human amputees can benefit from more comfortable, effective prosthetics. The external prosthetics commonly in use now must be replaced regularly, and refitting is slow and painstaking.

Cassidy's surgery got attention in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina and in medical and engineering journals. Marcellin-Little is now hearing from dog owners and humans eager to try the technique. He is also exchanging notes with surgeons considering the technique for replacing human limbs. A few human subjects have had a procedure like Cassidy's, done by doctors in Sweden and Great Britain.

The professors are happy with Cassidy's progress.

"He used to have weakness and fatigue, and now he can walk for hours. He's a happy dog, and that's about as good as it gets," said Marcellin-Little.

"You wanna go to the beach with Daddy?" Posovsky asks the dog, who barks his agreement.

Jamie's walking tall again

Adam Derbyshire
March 04, 2009


A YOUNG footballer whose leg was amputated after he was struck down by cancer is now walking again.

Jamie Tregaskiss, 14, has finished chemotherapy and latest scans revealed he has beaten the disease

And he’s now trying out his new leg.

The youngster, who was on the books of Manchester City, faced a fight for life last year after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer.

Doctors had to take the decision to remove his left leg at the hip to stop a tumour in his pelvis spreading.

After nine months of treatment, Jamie and mum Mandy, 38, have been told all trace of the cancer has gone.

The teenager has now been fitted with a prosthetic limb and is learning to walk once again.

Mandy, of Polruan Walk, Hattersley said: "It’s the news we had our fingers crossed for. The way he has coped with it is astonishing. To go through so much at such a young age must be difficult, but it hasn’t changed him one bit.

"We have to be thankful it’s not taken his life and only his leg. He doesn’t want people to treat him any differently and couldn’t wait to get back to school. He really is an inspiration."

Jamie played for Hattersley FC, City and Alder School but began suffering with pain in his left hip after a playground fall last year.

An initial scan and X-ray revealed nothing. But in April he began to rapidly lose weight and suffer from fatigue. He was referred to Tameside Hospital for a CT scan which showed up a shadow on his pelvis, and a biopsy revealed it was cancer.

But with the gruelling treatment now at an end, his hair is beginning to grow back and he has put on weight.

And he can’t wait to be back out on the football pitch with an offer to join Manchester United FC amputees team when he reaches 16.

Jamie said: "I’m determined to play again. I have to learn to walk using my stomach muscles to move my new leg, but it’s going good."

Mum-of-four Mandy was touched by the amount of people who held fund-raisers to help send Jamie on a dream trip to Florida.

She added: "Thank you to everyone who sent cheques, especially Hattersley FC who held a series of events. We will take him in summertime."

New Zealand Woman Losses Legs, Becomes Mermaid (Video)

Nadva Vessey surely isn't the first person to dream of becoming a mermaid, but thanks to the folks at Weta Workshop, she may be the first person to truly have realized that dream. Vessey, a New Zealand resident who lost her legs as a youth, approached the company, which has designed effects and costumes for movies such as Lord of the Rings, if they might be able to help her swim like a mermaid.

The company complied, creating a prosthetic tail out of plastic molds and wetsuit materials. Vessey has been taking the tail for test drives around her local pool. Weta for its part, said it's not likely to construct another tail, but was more than happy to accept the challenge.

From one amputee to another: keep the dream alive

Arjun Ramachandran
February 24, 2009 - 4:52PM
Warren Macdonald ... scaling new heights.

A double leg amputee who has conquered Mount Kilimanjaro has a message for shark attack victim and navy diver Paul de Gelder: the biggest obstacle you will face in achieving future physical feats will be the dimmed expectations of others.

As Able Seaman de Gelder, 31, recovers from the amputation of his leg on Wednesday, Australian Warren Macdonald urged him to find people who believed he could achieve his dreams.

Able Seaman de Gelder, who was attacked by what was believed to be a three-metre bull shark in Sydney Harbour, has said he hopes to resume diving.

"I'm looking forward to rebuilding my life and taking on the new challenges I have to face," he said in a statement. "Ultimately I would like to return to what I love - navy diving."

Mr Macdonald lost both legs above the knee in a climbing accident, yet went on to climb Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, and America's tallest cliff face, El Capitan. He told Able Seaman de Gelder to remain positive about resuming diving.

"He's bang on, in a sense - especially with that level of amputation there's no end of examples of people that have already done that sort of thing - and he can take it to the next level."

"He'll have no problems getting back to diving."

Mr Macdonald, 42, said his own initial feelings after his legs were amputated oscillated between false optimism and despair.

His legs were crushed when a one tonne boulder fell on him during a climbing trip on Hinchinbrook Island in 1997. He was trapped for two days, waiting in agony as his companion hiked back down a mossy mountain for help.

Both legs later had to be amputated at mid thigh.

"Right in the beginning I thought life was pretty much over. I was going to be happy enough to walk out to the mail box," Mr Macdonald said.

"I felt really limited, and thought I wouldn't be able to spend any time in the bush again."

Later, he began to entertain more positive thoughts. "I had naive ideas I could easily get prosthetic legs and walk into the sunset," he said. Continued...

continue story by clicking here!

Overcoming Obstacles!

A Missoula woman was among more than 500 triathletes who competed in the XTERRA World Championship in Hawaii on Oct. 26.UM News reporter Breanna Roy and photographer Liam Scholey found out, Megan Fisher overcame a bigger obstacle than the grueling race.

NBA to honor former Suns player for his amputee work

The NBA will honor former Phoenix Suns player Wayman Tisdale during All Star Weekend.

This will be Tisdale's first NBA appearance since his recent successful cancer treatment.

Now Tisdale is a Jazz musician but for 12 years he played in the NBA taking a turn on the Suns, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers teams.

He will perform at the NBA Cares & Cooks fundraiser on Saturday, February 14 at 9 p.m.

Also, the Legends of Basketball is set to honor Tisdale with the highly regarded Legends Courage Award at the annual Legends Brunch on Sunday, February 15 at 10 a.m.

Both events take place at the Phoenix Convention Center.

NBA Cares & Cooks is a local food and wine VIP tasting reception featuring award-winning chefs, Basketball Hall of Famers and NBA legends.

Tisdale will perform his Jazz music for the first time, post-cancer treatment, for his former NBA colleagues at this event. This tasting will raise funds for four Phoenix area food banks.

Each year, the Legends of Basketball honors former professional basketball players and luminaries who have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in the basketball community.

The Legends Brunch features current and past players gathering to honor the history, present and future of the NBA.

Tisdale will join the likes of past Living Legends Award recipients including Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Bill Russell, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Earl Monroe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

He will be highlighted as a living legend for his recent work with amputees. Setting a commendable example, Tisdale recently overcame a battle with cancer, which led him to start the Wayman Tisdale Foundation, which counsels and raises funds for amputees.

“It is a great honor to receive this Award not only from the Legends of Basketball, but from my peers. Being able to use my recent experience as an opportunity to help others is something I felt I just had to do. I look forward to sharing this honor with my wife and children, as well as the basketball community,” said Tisdale.

Tisdale is an NBA Great turned respected jazz musician, who has truly forged his own path, from professional basketball player and Olympian to family man and world class musician.

Just as Tisdale captivated fans on the basketball court, he now pleases fans with his bass guitar.

Following his recent cancer surgery, Tisdale continues to inspire fans, friends and cancer survivors alike.

Tisdale’s latest CD – Rebound is his eighth studio album.

For more information about Tisdale, visit www.waymantisdale.com.

Women with MS Overcomes Adversity!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Here is a story by The Today Show, Meredith Vierira interviews Jonna Patton who is overcoming the limiting effects of Multiple Sclerosis with the Help of loved ones and a new electronic device by Bioness called the NessL300. Meredith talks to Jonna, husband Tom and Dr. Michael O'Dell.

Prosthetic Center of Excellence is the only Las Vegas O&P Company that is contracted with Bioness to evaluate and fit patients with this NessL300. Should you have any questions regarding this amazing technology and would like to set an appointment for evaluation. Call us at our office 702-384-1410 or email your interests or questions to lvbionics@gmail.com

One-armed shark attack girl runner up in world surfing championship

A girl who had her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing has only narrowly lost out on winning the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Junior Women's Surfing Championships.

By Stephen Adams
Last Updated: 11:41AM GMT 12 Jan 2009

Hamilton said of surfing minus one arm: 'I've adapted now and got used to it. It's been five years now so it feels natural.' Photo: REUTERS
Hawaiian Bethany Hamilton was 13 when she was attacked by a 15-foot Tiger shark five years ago.

But the talented youngster refused to quit the sport she loved - despite only being left with one arm to paddle with.

She has overcome her disability to become runner-up in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Junior Women's Surfing Championships.

At one point the 18-year-old was in the winning position during the Billabong Pro contest, which was held at Narrabeen in Australia, one of Sydney's best-known surfing beaches.

France's Pauline Ado only pipped her to the title by a narrow margin, but Hamilton was the crowd's favourite for the title.

Before the 18-woman contest she told how she would "love to do well" in the contest, her first attempt to win the junior title.

She said of surfing minus one arm: "I've adapted now and got used to it. It's been five years now so it feels natural."

Despite the success, winning the junior title is just a stepping stone to greater things.

She wants to go on to compete in the main women's ASP tour, which consists of a series of events held throughout the year at the best surfing spots around the globe.

She missed out on a place on the 2009 tour by just two places and is now aiming for a place in 2010.

Gary Dunne of surfing company Rip Curl, who sponsors Hamilton, described her as "an inspiration".

He told the Sydney Daily Telegraph: "The reality is losing her arm has made it much more difficult to catch waves but she has learned how to overcome that and is now up there with the best. She has found a way around it.

"The fact she is able to compete and be in the top 20 in the world is phenomenal."

The company was already sponsoring Hamilton when she was attacked: at the time she was considered to be one of the brightest hopes in women's surfing.

Dunne said that she went surfing just three weeks after the attack. He said: "A shark attack is everyone's worst nightmare but she is just someone who loves surfing."

Worlds Fastest Three Legged Man!

Watch Josh Sundquist, a leg amputee, Paralympic athlete, writer and ... as you are about to see - very professional motivational speaker.

Amity man builds knee for amputee athletes

by Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian
Friday January 09, 2009, 9:37 PM

After Cpl. Garrett Jones lost a leg in Iraq in 2007, he told his doctors he hoped to do two things: have a family and snowboard.

A family should be no problem, they told him. The prospects for an above-the-knee amputee to snowboard, however, were nearly nonexistent.

But two years later, Jones is spinning 360s and boosting big airs at Timberline Ski Area, thanks to an Oregon entrepreneur's perseverance and a unique prosthetic knee. With the XT9, amputees can take part in sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding and telemark skiing.

Seeing Jones blast down the slopes just might change your idea of what's possible for an above-the-knee amputee.

"If I had my pant leg down, you wouldn't know I was an amputee," said Jones, 23, of Newberg, who made some runs at Timberline this week.

The brain behind the XT9 is Jarem Frye of Amity, a hero among many amputees and prosthetics experts. An amputee himself -- he lost a leg to bone cancer at age 14 while growing up in Utah -- Frye, now 30, spent years struggling on the slopes and tinkering in machine shops to develop the knee.

Symbiotechs USA

• What: Amity company that makes the XT9 Energy Storing Prosthetic Knee, its only product

• Employees: Owners Jarem and Sara Frye, plus an assistant

• Profitability: Jarem Frye says Symbiotechs has been profitable since 2006, the year it was founded

• The XT9: The knee, retailing for $7,000 to $9,000, is assembled in Amity from parts made in machine shops in Oregon, California, Utah and Montana. It enables above-the-knee amputees, for the first time, to participate in extreme sports.

• Quote: "Without that knee I wouldn't be able to ski, I wouldn't be able to snowboard, I wouldn't be able to wakeboard. It's mandatory equipment." -- E.J. Poplawski, professional skier who lost his leg in 2006

"At the time I lost my leg, I was really interested in snowboarding," he said, "but I was told there was no way to do that with the amputation."

He learned to "three-track" ski -- on one leg and a pair of crutches fitted with short skis -- and went on to compete at a national level in adaptive ski racing.

Then in 1996, when he was 18, he watched from a ski lift as a telemark skier made graceful turns down the slope below. Tele skiers, who use bindings that keep their heels free, turn by bending their inside knee.

"Without even thinking about it, I said, 'I'd like to try that someday,'" he said. "The other people on the lift looked at me like I was crazy."

Working as a lift operator at Utah's Park City Mountain Resort, he spent $40 for used tele gear, including leather boots with Rollerblade parts. He strapped in his standard prosthetic leg.

"The first time out, my leg fell off," he said. Duct tape fixed that. The larger problem was his walking leg didn't return resistance when he tried to bend his knee to drop into a turn. "That's when I started realizing I was going to have to come up with a device."

He tried to modify his prosthetic leg with an automotive valve from a wrecking yard. Still not enough. Then he fitted a mountain-bike RockShox shock absorber into an old walking knee. With help from a machining student at Brigham Young University, he developed a prototype in 2000 that enabled him to turn as if he had two legs.

Over the next several years, he tried it out on sports such as wakeboarding, snowboarding and rock climbing. Friends and onlookers told him he should market his creation.

He sold a few by word of mouth. Then in 2006, he and his wife moved to Oregon for jobs that quickly fell through. They launched Symbiotechs USA and began selling the XT9 full time. The company sold 30 in 2006 and, Frye said, has sold 120 more since then.

The knee replicates the role of thigh muscles, said James Liston, a prosthetist at Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in Salt Lake City. A traditional "walking leg" prosthesis relies on the user to swing it forward with their hip before taking a step. But it can't push back if the user wants to "bend" that leg.

The XTP, in contrast, "resists bending and it actually stores energy and pushes back," Liston said.

The knee is designed for certain sports, so it isn't suitable for everyday use. Frye compares it to walking in a ski boot.

"We don't need to fit every above-the-knee amputee with one, but if there are people who want to do these activities, it's just huge fun," Liston said. "It's so exciting for me, because I've been doing this for 20 years. And things that I thought were impossible I've seen happen."

And the potential market? While many leg amputees have diabetes and probably aren't interested in extreme sports, the National Center for Health Statistics tallied 22,000 above-the-knee leg amputations in 2006, the latest year for which statistics are available.

For people such as Jones, the snowboarding Marine, being able to spend time on Mount Hood is as important as walking.

"It's not the same. It'll never be the same," Jones said. "But snowboarding is my passion, so it doesn't matter. I'm still snowboarding."

Jones returned to Oregon in October from a combat deployment doing intelligence work in Afghanistan. He plans to retire from the Marines in May.

Then he'd like to spend the summer wakeboarding with his XT9 and working on his tricks at Timberline in preparation for adaptive snowboarding competitions.

"I'm fortunate," he said. "That's how I look at it."

-- Matthew Preusch: preusch@bendbroadband.com

Snowboarding amputee

Combating cancer on the slopes (with video)

Ski therapy » Outing helps young victims get past disease.
By Mike Gorrell

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 01/06/2009 10:33:12 AM MSTPark City » Not quite three months after her cancerous left leg was amputated just below the hip, Amanda McDaniel watched Paralympian Monte Meier carve fluid one-legged turns Monday at Park City Mountain Resort.



"That will be you before long," said one of McDaniel's instructors from the National Ability Center.

The high school junior responded with a dubious "Oh, yeah" grin. But then she pushed off with her right leg, maintaining balance with the curved outriggers on the ends of her poles as she followed Meier down the slope.

"You've got it," encouraged her primary instructor, Tracy Riddleberger-Meier (Monte's wife), as the group headed back to First Time chairlift for another run.

McDaniel is one of 13 young cancer patients participating in a "Rehabilitation Ski Trip" conducted annually since 1982 by the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Many have lost limbs to cancer.

None have lost their zest for life.

"They don't whine," said instructor Vince Barbisan, who was teaching Felipe Olivarez, 21, of Houston, the fine points of sit-skiing.

After bone cancer cost Olivarez his left arm and accentuated other health problems, his physical activity had been reduced to playing video games. But although he has spent little time on snow, this trip has inspired him.

"Skiing is a lot different than anything I'd experienced. It's kind of difficult, but I'm getting the hang of it," he said. "I'm more confident. Next year I'll get a little better."

The chance to instill that kind of outlook prompted pediatric oncologist Norman Jaffee to initiate the trip after he saw how much skiing had done for one of his early patients, Ted Kennedy Jr., who lost a leg to cancer in 1973.

"If it was good enough for Ted Kennedy, it was good enough for my other cancer patients," said Jaffee, who initially took patients to Winter Park, Colo., but switched to Park City because he was impressed by National Ability Center founder Meeche White's commitment to helping people with disabilities.

Besides five days of skiing, the cancer kids have a dance. They have an off day to shop in Park City and, importantly, spend time with peers who are going through what they are going through -- and with older people who have survived cancer and thrived.

"All the people you meet are amazing," said McDaniel, a cheerleader looking forward to using her new prosthetic leg when she returns home to Columbia, Mo. "We've gone through similar but different things. It's nice to talk it out."

She has become friends with Amy Jensen, 18, of Estherville, Iowa, who ran track and cross country before a leg was amputated in July of 2007. Nicknamed "Awesome Amy" by her instructors, her goal is to run the Boston Marathon.

"I never thought I'd be able to ski," she said Monday, her third day on the slopes. "My first day I was scared. My mental was bad. But now I think it's fun."

Beginners like Jensen are continually encouraged by people like Shelby Robin, 21, of Austin, now on her ninth ski trip. "To see their progress is really cool," said the fast-skiing Robin, a big Jupiter Bowl fan whose experience beating cancer motivated her to begin nursing school next week.

Watching Robin progress has been inspirational for Jackie Fehr, her instructor the past half dozen years.

"Once they're on the hill, they forget they're disabled, that there's a problem. After they learn that, they can do anything."

mikeg@sltrib.com

Early Christmas for Las Vegas Homeless.

Prosthetic Center of Excellence Staff, friends and family created an early Christmas dinner celebration for over 300 families that are homeless. We started early Saturday morning of December 13th, cooking BBQ chicken, pasta, green bean salad, rolls, baked cookies and more. Together we enrolled friends to donate used cloths, jackets, socks and blankets. Later in the day we headed down to Owens/ Las Vegas Blvd and distributed the food and items. It was an amazing experience for all of us in sharing our time. We felt so blessed and grateful that together as a company and community, we have chosen to make a difference that truly warmed the hearts of families going through hard times during this holiday season! We encourage each and everyone of you that if you feel it in your heart and you would like to help & support the homeless, we encourage you & your friends to get together and create a community of givers during the winter and holiday season.

Community Answering Call For Help For Mikey

Michael Stolzenberg is a young man with a lot of courage. The avid young athlete and playful spirit suffers from a rare immune disease.
Read Carey Codd's blog about Michael
Click here to donate to Michael's Rehabilitation

Click here for video clip
Reporting Carey Codd
E-mail WESTON (CBS4) ― Just one day after CBS4's Carey Codd showed you the inspirational story of 8-year-old Michael Stolzenburg, you have delivered in way the family couldn't have imagined.

Since we aired Michael's story, viewers like you have donated much needed money for prosthetics and local performers are offering to put on benefit concerts to help Michael. All of this is in addition to a community arranged fundraiser called Miles for Mikey. It will be held on Saturday, December 6th at Tequesta Trace Park in Weston.

Michael is a young man with a lot of courage. The avid young athlete and playful spirit suffers from a rare immune disease.

Last summer Michael contracted an infection from a bacteria found in tropical climates, Chromobacterium Violaceum. Most people can fight it off. But with an immune deficiency disease the bacteria can be fatal.

"He was considered gravely ill," his mother Laura said. "We didn't know if he was gonna make it."

After seven weeks in the hospital, Michael survived. But he sustained oxygen loss to his limbs and doctors were forced to amputate his hands and his feet.

Yet the energetic and vibrant boy exudes happiness. When the family sat down to speak with us Monday, Michael mugged for the cameras and playfully joked with his parents and brothers.

When he put on our microphone he cleverly played the role of a TV reporter, saying, "Testing. Testing. 1-2-3."

It is clear the doctors may have amputated Michael's hands and feet but they did not amputate his spirit.

His father Keith says the ordeal challenged the family but he is bursting with pride over his youngest son's handling of the situation.

"It's a positive energy because Michael has the positive energy," Keith said. "Michael has been as strong as anyone could possibly be in this situation and he's a character."

"Michael gives me strength every single day," Laura said. "His spirit is amazing."

Michael is a character and he loves to play, but he is serious about returning to the sports field. "I want to get back playing sports. My friends, family, watching me, cheering me on," Michael said.

In fact, before his medical emergency Michael had been named quarterback for his pee wee football team, the Weston Warriors.

The family is making a plea for help. Michael needs high quality prosthetics to allow him to play sports and be independent. As he grows, he'll need new prosthetics. The family created the Michael Stolzenberg Rehabilitative Trust to raise money to pay for the prosthetics.

Michael is grateful for the community's prayers and donations. "They're very nice and very kind and I thank them for putting money into the trust," Michael said.

His family hopes Michael's youth will enable him to adapt to the prosthetics and be successful, not only on the athletic field but in life.

"As a family we are doing everything we can to give him a bright future," Laura said. "He will have every type of prosthetic that he needs and wants so he can do whatever he wants --- the same if not better. And in my heart, he will."

You can read more about Mikey, the fundraiser and how you can help by checking out Reporter Carey Codd's blog.

8 Year Old Adam Bender - “Let us play!”

My name is Bernabe Duran, moderator of this blog and I came across Adam Bender in the news and felt that it is important that people know of his vision and purpose in life. Through my personal experience these last 6 years actively participating as a Life Coach and personal effectiveness/leadership mentor, I find that people generally lack a vision/purpose for thier life, especially when it comes to disabilities. Here is a kid, 8 years old who instintively knows his purpose in life. My question and challenge to all of you is "What can you do to push through your own personal challenges to make a difference with someone you may not know? What will be the legacy you leave behind?" I truly hope you enjoy this video of inspiration and take action to be in service to help others who may be down on themselves looking for an angel like yourselves.

Here is a quote from Adam Bender himself!

"I hope that when others see me play, they will be aware that a physical challenge can be overcome when you have the desire and you believe in yourself. My wish is that all children, no matter what their ability, who want to play sports be given the chance. With the help of my family, I want to start an organization that will help kids with physical challenges be able to participate in sports. In my own words “Let us play!”"

Adam Bender

Harnessing The Power Of The Brain

Scott Pelley Reports How Brain Computer Interface May Help The Paralyzed In The Future
(CBS) Once in a while, we run across a science story that is hard to believe until you see it. That's how we felt about this story when we first saw human beings operating computers, writing e-mails, and driving wheelchairs with nothing but their thoughts.

Quietly in a number of laboratories, an astounding technology is developing that directly connects the human brain to a computer. It's like a sudden leap in human evolution - a leap that could one day help paralyzed people to walk again and amputees to move bionic limbs. As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, the connection has already been made for a few people, and for them it has been life changing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scott Mackler was a husband, father and successful neuroscientist when he received perhaps the worst news imaginable. At the age of 40, he could run a marathon in three and a half hours, but it was about that time he discovered he had ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.

His brain was losing its connection to virtually every muscle in his body. The near-total paralysis would also stop his lungs. He didn't want to live on a ventilator, so nine years ago he recorded this message for his two sons.

"I know the future holds lot of love and joy and pride and that life goes on and I’ll be watching you along the way and I love you very much and I'll see ya," he said in a home video.

Today, Scott Mackler's mind is sharp as ever, but his body has failed. Doctors call it "locked in" syndrome. Scott and his wife Lynn learned to communicate with about the only thing he has left, eye movement.

To signal "yes," Lynn says Scott looks at her; to signal "no," he looks away.

But recently Scott found a new voice. "Can everyone hear the PC? I apologize for the quality of the voice," he asked in writing.

Scott wrote these words, one letter at a time, with nothing but his thoughts and the help of what's called a brain computer interface or "BCI." He wears a cap that picks up the electrical activity of his brain and allows him to select letters simply by thinking about them. Then the computer turns his sentences into speech.

"I hate being helpless and when other people put words in my mouth," he wrote.

"Well, this is a very unusual interview for 60 Minutes. We've done something we never, ever do, and that is we've submitted the questions in advance because it takes Scott a little while to put the answers together using the BCI device," Pelley remarks. "Scott, I understand that earlier in the progression of this disease you said that, at the point you had to go on a ventilator you didn't wanna go on anymore, but today you are on a ventilator. And I'm curious about what changed your mind?"

"Because I can still communicate," Scott replied, with the help of the BCI device.

It isn't fast. It takes 20 seconds or so to select each letter. Scott told 60 Minutes it took him about an hour to write the answers to our 16 questions. But he writes well enough to continue his research and manage his lab at the University of Pennsylvania, where he still goes to work everyday.

"You use this system even to text your sons, for example. And I wonder what it would mean to your life today if the system somehow was taken away from you?" Pelley asks.

Scott says he couldn't work with BCI.

Asked what it has meant to their relationship, Scott's wife Lynn tells Pelley, "Well, he's happier. He can communicate with not just us, but with the world. This gave him his independence. His working, intellectual, scientist independence back."

The system was developed by neuroscientist Dr. Jonathan Wolpaw at New York State's Wadsworth Center.

Click here for the full story!

World record on crutches for Limerick marathon man Simon

Published Date: 28 October 2008
By Petula Martyn
A LIMERICK-based athlete won the hearts of supporters at the Dublin marathon yesterday when he broke a world record for the fastest marathon ever completed on crutches.
There were huge cheers from the crowd when Simon Baker crossed the finish line after completing the course in six hours and 47 minutes, smashing the record by 26 minutes.

The awe-inspiring achievement has earned the 41-year-old a listing in the Guinness Book of Records.

Simon, who is originally from London but who has made Castletroy his home, was one of almost 12,000 competitors to take part in yesterday's event.

Unlike the previous record holder, Simon ran the entire 26 miles 385 yards without the assistance of a prosthetic leg, relying only on his one remaining leg and a pair of crutches.

He lost his leg in a workplace accident four years ago and recently decided to turn his misfortune around and set about raising badly needed funds for Irish based charity, the Bubble Gum Club.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader before the marathon, Simon admitted that he thought his life was over after his leg was amputated.

"It wasn't until I was introduced to some very sick children through the Bubble Gum Club that I realised that losing a leg was absolutely nothing. Running a marathon with one leg is simple compared to what these brave little souls have to deal with every day and anything I can do to help is a pleasure"

The Bubble Gum Club looks after terminally ill children and children in crisis. The charity helps over 2,000 children every year across the country.

MEET MOLLY...SHE'S A GREY SPECKLED PONY

Meet Molly. She's a grey speckled pony who
was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case.You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

'This was the right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.

Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana . The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.

The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports.
And she asks for it. She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse,' she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing it.

'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life,? Moore said. 'She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.'
Barca concluded, 'She's not back to normal, but she's going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.





This is Molly's most recent prosthesis. The bottom
photo shows the ground surface that she stands on,
which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever
Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind.
Forward this and share it with all of the animal
lovers that you know.

Amputee Coalition brings youth summer camp to Ohio location

Until Laura Mullen attended the Amputee Coalition of America’s summer camp, the 14-year-old had never met another kid with an amputation.

It’s an opportunity she looks forward to each summer – especially now that the camp has moved to a location near Cincinnati, Laura said.

“I especially like being able to be with amputee kids,” said the Indiana girl. “I could take off my leg anywhere and not have everybody look at me.”

Laura wears a prosthetic leg because of congenital condition that prevented her bones from developing.

The camp is just one of the many services the nonprofit agency provides in Ohio and around the country. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based organization focuses on increasing awareness about amputees in America, advocating for amputees and creating support systems for them.

Three of the 63 campers at the Joy Outdoor Education Center July 20-24 in Clarksville, about 35 miles from Cincinnati, were from Ohio. The coalition rented the camp for one week and spent about $2,000 per camper. The coalition arranges for children from around the country to attend.

Ohio was chosen because coalition staff liked the camp property and also wanted a site in the Midwest to accommodate kids coming from all over the country,

“It’s a great opportunity for kids because at so many other places, they’re not normal.” said Lonnie Nolt, a 30-year-old Columbus man who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident nine years ago. “This is one of the only places where they’re the normal.”

Nolt, who was a counselor at the camp this summer and plans to return, said he was moved when some campers told him, “This week is my favorite vacation of my life.”

Not just camp
In addition to the camps, the coalition also provides peer mentoring opportunities and workshops where amputees can learn skills designed to improve their quality of life. The agency also offers continuing education classes for medical professionals who deal with amputees.

The coalition developed the independent summer camp program in 2002 as an outreach effort for children. The organization also offers a password-protected Web site where young people with amputations can chat with each other online.

The site and the camp offer a place for kids to share thoughts and advice about their medical situations, said Vicki Foster, the manager for outreach and special events for the coalition.

“The focus of the camp is to give these children an opportunity to meet and interact with other children who have similar challenges,” she said.

To help offset costs to the coalition, Parents are asked to donate $500 if they’re able, Foster said.

The camp is open to children ages 10 to 16, she said. Teenagers who are too old to participate as campers are routinely invited to become counselors, Foster said. The practice provides great mentoring opportunities, she said.

Included in the four-day event are discussions about dating, nutrition, healthy lifestyles and peer pressure, Foster said. Attending camp often helps young people become more comfortable with their bodies, Foster said.

“Some amazing conversations take place,” she said.

Parents often report that children come home from camp and start wearing shorts rather than hiding their missing limbs, Foster said.

Confidence building
Linda Mullen, Laura’s mother, noticed a change in her daughter after her first camp experience three years ago.

“It’s given her more confidence and made her less self conscious,” she said.

Attending camp also has made her daughter more willing to take control of her situation, Linda Mullen said, noting that her daughter is more willing to make a doctor’s appointment or other arrangements for her care.

Laura, who was one of this year’s campers, said she enjoys the opportunity to hear and see how other campers lead their lives.

Camp was even better this year thanks to the new location east of Cincinnati, she said.

The center had a high ropes course that was accessible to all campers, she said.

“People that have a disability can actually do it,” she said. “You can take as long as you want.”

Amputee Coalition of America
900 E. Hill Ave., Suite 205
Knoxville, Tenn.
Phone: 888-267-5669
Fax number: 865-525-7919
Web site: amputee-coalition.org
Mission: To reach out to people with limb loss and empower them through education, support and advocacy.
Executive staff: Kendra Calhoun, CEO; and Patricia J. Isenberg, chief operating officer
Board members: David McGill, chairman; Eve Rachel Markewich, vice chairwoman; Kathleen K. Spozio, secretary; Arthur Bassin, treasurer; Jeffrey Cain; Pat Chelf; Marshall J. Cohen; Richard N. Myers Jr.; and Charlie Steele.
Paid staff: 31
Volunteers: Hundreds
Quick facts:
• The coalition advocates for the rights of people with limb loss, and has introduced legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure health insurance companies provide meaningful prosthetic coverage.
• The coalition hosts the largest annual national consumer educational conference specifically for people with limb loss.
• The coalition houses the most comprehensive library available for people with limb loss.
• The coalition’s National Peer Network trains civilian and military peer trainers and peer visitors.


Melissa Kossler Dutton is a freelance writer based in Bexley.

Meet our staff at Prosthetic Center of Excellence!

Back left to right: Myron Calvin - Certified Pedorthist, Rob Phillips - Lab Tech, Nancy Smith - Bookkeeper, Miquel Miralles - Certified Lab Tech, Richard Brunner - Certified Prosthetist, John Cordone - Certified Orthotist, Bernabe Duran - Marketing/Business Development, Kevin Bidwell - Certified Prosthetist & Orthotist, Gwen Webb-Johnson - Owner & Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist

Front left to right: Tracie Carillo - Secretary/Administration, Tracey Flores - Office Manager, Terry Grabill - Administration.

We here at Prosthetic Center of Excellence work as a team to provide the most comprehensive patient service in the O&P Industry locally and abroad! It's important that you know, who the people are behind the scenes, as well as the individuals you see on the front lines of our practice.

We care for people and we would all like to THANK all our patients and referring clientele for your trust and confidence in our practice, We really appreciate your business!

Simple Strokes Therapy Uses Latest Tools to Bring Out Optimal Abilities

ROSALIND GUY | The Daily News

On a recent Wednesday morning at Simple Strokes Therapy in Southaven, 8-year-old Matthew Gary worked with an occupational therapist. Matthew, who has an undiagnosed developmental disorder, is learning to walk and communicate better.

He wears a blue and black glove-like device on his left arm that he uses to drum a beat along with a steady rhythm coming from a nearby computer. It’s not child’s play, though.

Matthew recently was referred to the center where he already has seen progress,which thrills his dad.

Melissa Slade, an occupational therapist with Simple Strokes Therapy, said since Matthew began the therapy sessions, she’s seen a marked improvement in his walking. Another patient, a little girl, now sleeps through the night, she added.

“Every child receives different benefits from this,” Slade said, describing the benefits of the new therapy program.

Simple Strokes Therapy recently began offering the Interactive Metronome, a brain-based rehabilitation assessment and training program. It was developed in the early 1990s to improve the processing abilities that affect attention, motor planning and sequencing.

In recent years, therapy centers like Simple Strokes Therapy have found that the program works well on children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as other developmental disabilities.

Steady growth
The metronome is just one of the tools therapists at the Southaven facility use to help children from newborn to age 21 reach their optimal abilities. They also offer aquatics therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and Simply Growing, a mother’s day out program for children ages 18 months to 5 years.

The new programs are a sign of the growth Simple Strokes Therapy has seen since the husband-wife ownership team of Trey and Robin Smith opened the center five years ago, said Trey Smith.

When the couple first started the business, they mostly were doing home-based therapy. Back then, Robin Smith, who recently earned her doctorate in physical therapy, was working with children through Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto’s early intervention program.

“They came to Robin and said there’s an opportunity that we would like for you to pursue,” Trey Smith said.

That opportunity was to go into the DeSoto County Schools and provide therapy.

Over time, word got out about the services she was offering, and soon other school systems – Tate County, Marshall County and Holly Springs – were calling.

“The outcomes were good, so by word of mouth she started getting more calls from other school districts,” Trey Smith said. “So it really started out with school-based therapy.”

As the patient base started to grow, the couple began to bring in other therapists to help with the workload.

“In 2003, we were approached by the Mississippi First Steps Early Intervention program to do home-based therapy for children ages 0 to 3,” Smith said. “And that is when we moved into our little facility on Goodman Road in order to have more of an office space just because we were seeing growth and we had actually increased our numbers.”

Teamwork
As they continued to experience more growth within their patient base and in anticipation of even more, the Smiths began building the current facility off Airways Place in 2005 and moved into it last year.

“We’ve grown tremendously in the last three years,” Smith said. “And the outcomes remain positive with all the children.”

Smith’s background is in financial planning and business administration, so he handles the business end of the operation, while his wife enjoys working with the children.

Together, they share joy at seeing the progress children who visit the center make.

Over the past year, more patients are being referred to Simple Strokes from outlying areas, including Memphis, and it’s a trend the owners think will continue. As they do, they said they will continue to add services as needed to suit the needs of the children.

“That’s why we do it,” Robin Smith said. “For the children. It’s all about the children.”

What if you were born with no arms and legs?

Join Central Christian Church on September 20 & 21 in las vegas, with special guest Nick Vujicic (pronounce Vooey-cheech) – a man whose faith helped him to overcome the most difficult obstacles. Hear his story of how God took him from a life without limbs, to a life without limits.

This is truly an uplifting story of overcoming challenges in life with the help of GOD! Should anyone of you be in Las Vegas come out and hear Nick's amazing story of transformation and his journey to making a difference in the world.

Here is a link to hear more about Nick and this up and coming event. Enjoy and be uplifted with an open heart!!!

Central Christian Church Event

Nick Vujicic Website

Phantom Limb Cure: Retraining the Brain

Correcting the distortions in the body "maps" stored in the brain that cause phantom limb pain could be a matter of changing how patients think.
By Lorimer Moseley

I once got hit just above my eye by a cricket ball, which is much like a baseball only harder. One instant, the missile was safely cupped in the wiry fists of a fellow nicknamed The Wooloomooloo Whippet, and the next instant it was rattling my braincage. An hour later, my eye feeling very swollen, I strolled around the Ladies’ Stand awaiting congratulatory warrior-worship type comments. None. Not even one. Nobody commented on my heroics or my brutal injury. I sulked off to the bathroom, the mirror of which revealed that my eye was not in the least bit swollen. I can guarantee it had felt swollen. I had even been able see the lump protruding into my peripheral vision. In fact, as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, the feeling that it was swollen, and the bit of it I could “see,” vanished. How does that work? Well, how our body feels—the awareness we have of our physical self—is constructed by the brain. It depends on the maps of the body that are held within our brain and emerges as a conscious output.

These body maps become altered in people with pathological pain. For example, in phantom limb pain, which involves feeling pain in a limb after it has been amputated, the altered maps may in fact contribute to the pain. One way to treat such pain is by directly training the brain to correct the distorted maps. Another way to treat such pains is by instructing the patient to imagine making certain movements with the phantom limb. Although we don’t know how such motor imagery works in the brain, one possibility is that it, too, corrects the distorted maps.

The Map Moves In a lovely study by neuroscientist Kate MacIver and colleagues from the University of Liverpool, 13 arm amputees with phantom limb pain underwent brain scans before and after a training program in which they imagined movements of their phantom limb during daily periods of relaxation. The key measures from imaging were brain activity evoked by: pursing the lips, opening and closing the intact hand, and opening and closing the phantom hand. Why scan the brain of people with upper limb pain while they purse their lips? There is very good evidence that in amputees with phantom limb pain, the brain maps reorganize so that the representation of the lip (the “virtual” lip) shifts to where the missing hand should be—about four millimeters away. In amputees without phantom limb pain, there is no, or very little, shift. A shift of that size may seem trivial, but considering that the sensory cortex has about 20,000 brain cells per cubic millimeter, it actually represents a monumental change in the response profile of brain cells.

Here is what the team found before training: When the healthy controls pursed their lips, they activated their virtual lips. When they imagined moving their hand, they activated their virtual hand. No surprises there. In contrast, when the amputees pursed their lips or moved their phantom hand, they activated both their virtual lips and their virtual hand. They also activated parts of the sensory cortex that normally represents the other side of the body—the virtual opposite hand if you like. These results are interesting enough but not altogether surprising. They corroborate a growing body of literature that demonstrates that people with pathological pain have distorted maps of the body, or a generalized disinhibition of parts of the brain (reduction of the normal inhibitory control that keeps brain activations in check).

The real punch of this study lies in the changes that were imparted by training. Here is what they found after six to 12 weeks of the training program: nine of the 13 reported that the intensity of their pain had been halved, the amputees started to show the same activation pattern during lip pursing and phantom hand movements as the healthy controls do, and the extent of pain relief and the extent to which brain activations returned to normal were correlated.

One obvious limitation is that, although this study had healthy controls in training for comparison, it did not have a control condition of patients and healthy subjects who did not get the training. So we don’t actually know for sure whether the training program was important in imparting the effects. That said, anyone in the know would be absolutely gobsmacked if it didn’t. Perhaps a more interesting issue is what contribution the two main components of the training might have made to the effect. The obvious aspect is the imagined movements: we know that imagined movements involve the same brain mechanisms as executed movements and we know that practising movements refine those mechanisms. This study clearly suggests that the same processes apply to phantom limbs as well as intact limbs. The less obvious facet of the finding is the relaxation/body scanning part, which actually comprised the bulk of the training sessions. Simply thinking about body parts activates their virtual counterpart—one can’t feel one’s body without using neurons that represent it. Honing in on a particular body part requires inhibitory processes, the loss of which might underpin the extravagant activation patterns that were observed in the pre-training scans. I hope this research group teases out these components in its next study!

The Mutable Brain:

Regardless of the active component, this study gives insight into a possible mechanism of pain relief for people with phantom limb pain. In itself, this finding is terrific, because phantom limb pain is common in amputees, it is resistant to drugs and it can be at least as debilitating as the absence of the limb.The study also corroborates a growing literature on the lability of the human brain. Although brain plasticity might underpin the remapping that contributes to phantom limb pain in the first place, the very same plasticity can also be exploited to return the brain to normal and reduce phantom limb pain. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research Norman Doidge refers to this effect as “the dark side of plasticity.”

Finally, the study raises the bar for those of us trying to develop better and better ways to treat pathological pain conditions. Nevertheless, we still need to improve these protocols. This study reminds us that we can teach an old dog new tricks, but can we get it into the circus?
Are you a scientist? Have you recently read a peer-reviewed paper that you want to write about? Then contact Mind Matters editor Jonah Lehrer, the science writer behind the blog The Frontal Cortex and the book Proust Was a Neuroscientist.