11-year-old Alabama boy, whose legs were amputated at birth, runs, skateboards and competes in baseball

Posted by Kelli Hewett Taylor--Birmingham News April 23, 2009 6:00 AM

Hasaan Hawthorne's take on living as an amputee surprises a lot of people.
"I think it's funner having prosthetics than real legs because you get to do more stuff," said Hasaan, 11, a fifth-grader at Valley Intermediate School in Pelham.

He has shared his philosophy with a substitute teacher whose husband was getting prosthetic running legs, and a student whose grandfather was undergoing amputation.

"I like to inspire people and help people," said Hasaan (pronounced huh-SAHN). "I don't like to see people sad, I like to cheer people up. I'm just like other people, just with different legs."

Hasaan has been part of two championship youth baseball teams and an all-star team with able-bodied children. He excels in track and field for kids with disabilities.

Hasaan was born without shins, a condition called tibial hemimelia.

His parents, Demond and Felecia Hawthorne, reeled from the medical choices for their day-old son.

"We had never had such an experience, being first-time parents," Felecia said. "It was pretty hard."

The main options: Allow Hasaan's legs and feet to grow, knowing he would require a wheelchair, or amputate his feet and legs through the knees.

Amputation would let him sit at a school desk and walk with prosthetics.

At 4 months old, Hasaan had the surgery. As a youngster, he moved around using Tonka trucks and push cars.

Hasaan got his first prosthetic legs at 14 months, and it wasn't long before his athletic side began to emerge, particularly in baseball -- a shock to his football-loving father.

"I didn't even think about sports," Demond said. "He had a pair of walking legs, strictly for walking. Just walking in them is supposed to use the same energy we use to run."

By 4, Hasaan was running.

"At first it was hard, so I learned to skip and jump," Hasaan explained. "Sometimes when you jump off, the (prosthetic) feet turn."

At 5, Hasaan said he wanted to try out for baseball, first through the YMCA and then with Pelham Youth Baseball.

"I wanted him to prove he could play with them and not feel he wasn't good enough," Demond said. "But when he started playing, he was advanced for his age."

Hasaan could balance while batting and fielding, earning him spots playing first base and third base. He even helps his younger brother, Chase.

Hasaan's athleticism often breaks the walking legs, requiring weeks for repairs.

In 2007, Hasaan qualified for a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation for a set of curved running legs. The legs, which cost tens of thousands of dollars, increased his speed and improved his baseball skills.

"I like that you get to make a bunch of friends and you get to run," Hasaan said about playing for the Pelham Panthers. "I think able-bodied sports are more of a challenge. I just try to catch up with everyone else and impress my coach."

Unkind words

Some of the hardest moments for the Hawthornes are the stares and the pity.

Mother, father and son have all overheard adults and children making fun of Hasaan with names like Robokid or wild stories about train accidents taking his legs.

"We teach him that life is not fair and to have faith in God and trust in God," Demond said. "We don't want Hasaan to rely on us to take away the bad guys and make the bad stuff go away. We want him to live a proactive life on his own."

Hasaan is now contemplating football or wrestling.

The youngster loves a challenge, and his spirit is often a reminder for his parents and others who know him. Hasaan confidently plans to be the first above-the-knee double amputee to play college baseball, then play for the New York Yankees, like Derek Jeter. He expects to own a Corvette and retire from sports as an orthodontist.

"It's easy as you get older to set limitations, and he provides an example that maybe we shouldn't put these limits on ourselves," Demond said. "We try to instill in Hasaan as he grows that God has made him for a purpose, and God doesn't make mistakes. At his age, Hasaan has probably made more of an impact on people's lives than I will ever make."

click here for more great photos.

Paralympic athletes teach area amputees a better way to get around

by Cole Waterman | Special to The Bay City Times
Thursday April 23, 2009, 8:00 AM

Seven years ago, doctors amputated Dalton Roberts' left leg above the knee as a result of bone cancer. Since then, the 12-year-old Beaverton boy has walked with the help of a prosthetic limb. But walking isn't enough; Dalton wants to run and jump.

So Dalton spend Wednesday afternoon at Delta College with about 60 other amputees who attended Amputee Walking School.

Taught by Paralympic track and field gold medalists Dennis Oehler and Todd Schaffhauser, the participants learned new techniques to strengthen their lower muscles and get a better handle on controlling their prosthetic limbs.


Rebecca Craig | Times Photo
Paralympic track and field gold medalist Dennis Oehler demonstrates for 14-year-old Tyler Adams, right, how he can balance in a squat while wearing a prosthesis."Unfortunately, amputees don't get enough time in rehabilitation," Oehler said. "We needed to do something to develop on-going training."

The additional training was helping Dalton, said his father, Tom Roberts, who brought his son to the training session to "build strength and walk better and more efficiently."

Saginaw-based Michigan Orthopedic Services sponsored the event, which brought in participants from ages 12 to 72.

Oehler and Schaffhauser, both of Long Island, N.Y., have taught their class throughout the world and have instructed more than 10,000 lower extremity amputees.

Scott Baranek, a certified prosthetist with Michigan Orthopedic Services, spearheaded the event. A Bay City native lost his leg in a 1994 motorcycle accident, Baranek wants to bring resources to local amputees who may not have had enough physical therapy.

"It's a two- to three-year journey to get full recovery after a limb loss," Baranek said. "It's lucky if patients get four months of physical therapy."


Rebecca Craig | Times Photo
Tyler Adams, 14, lost his foot in a boating accident in August. He and his parents, Scott and Jolene Adams, and his 13-year-old brother, Joseph, turned out for the session.Once therapy stops, Baranek said there is a tendency for amputees to plateau, content to get by walking with a walker. He is hoping to "raise the level of awareness and expectations of patients and healthcare providers."

The most important issue is developing strong muscles so amputees can walk without a cane, or even run, Baranek said.

"Strength training is the key to using the proper muscle groups and ambulating properly," he said.

Kim Peake, referral development manager for Michigan Orthopedic Services, said the company tries to give patients ways to improve their abilities after the therapy ends.

"What we try to do is instead of making an artificial limb and saying 'see you later,' we give continual care," she said.

Mike Spitz, director of Delta's Physical Therapist Assistant program, said Baranek came to him, asking for Delta's help with Wednesday's event.

Spitz hopes Wednesday's event becomes a regular occurrence.

"We'd like to make this a monthly event, an actual program these people go through and each time they'd come out they'd learn and grow and progress," he said.

"Scott really recognizes what we're trying to accomplish with this," said Oehler, adding that he'd like to see the program become a monthly event. "Going monthly gives (amputees) opportunities to learn more and progress. It's good, exciting stuff."

Tyler Adams, 14, son of Scott and Jolene Adams of Sterling, had his left leg amputated below the knee on Aug. 5, following a boating accident. At Wednesday's class, he worked with his brother Joe, 12, to better hone his strength and balance.

"He's doing exceptionally well," said Jolene Adams. "He runs, plays second base in baseball, plays basketball, rides his bicycle and jumps on his pogo stick."

No elbows, no knees, no problem: Amputee set for MMA

Light-heavyweight Steve Cantwell jokingly told me last week that he wouldn't mind fighting someone without arms.

Too bad he can't make the cut to 135 pounds.

Kyle Maynard — described as a "congenital amputee" — was born without elbows, hands, knees or feet, but with plenty of athletic ambition. He compiled a 35-16 record as a high school wrestler and won an ESPY in 2004 for "best athlete with a disability." USA TODAY profiled him in 2004, going so far as to label him "The Ultimate Fighter" in the days before the term became associated with Spike TV's reality show.

He has a book and a documentary. He opened his own gym in December.

He wants to try martial arts at 135 pounds, but his home state of Georgia denied him an MMA license in 2007. Now he's going to give it a shot in Alabama, which doesn't regulate the sport.

"You know, just do it in an unsanctioned state, that way I can get that first one under my belt and hopefully build a little bit more of a legitimate case that I would be able to, in fact, defend myself in a fight," Maynard told MMA Fanhouse.

The 23-year-old Maynard started training jiu-jitsu at Hardcore Gym in Athens, Ga., and currently works with former world champion Paul Creighton. Maynard has competed under the auspices of the North American Grappling Association:

His short limbs present an obvious disadvantage, but he has certain unique characteristics that could help: low center of gravity; an unusually powerful torso and upper body compared to anyone else in his weight class; and he always counts as a grounded opponent, so can't be struck be knees or kicks to the head. The video above also the unusual difficulties of pulling guard on him — if he's on top, he probably has an easier time than most grapplers in maintaining positional control.

(Posted by Sergio Non)

Dual amputee, wounded in Iraq, gets special 'power knees'

Click here for VIDEO

WASHINGTON - It's an exciting new day for the more than 800 war veterans who've lost their limbs in combat. Thursday, the U.S. Army rolled out a new generation of the world's first battery-powered artificial knee to make walking a lot easier.

This is version two of the world's first and only battery-powered artificial leg, designed to restore dignity, mobility and independence to these soldiers who've lost the ability to walk while fighting for their country.

The new one's smaller, three pounds lighter and smarter; it learns while you walk.

Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson says it feels a lot more natural but walking with battery-power takes some getting used to.

An Iraq war veteran, Gadson said, "It's sort of like if you were driving a school bus and someone put you in a sports car. You know, you still know how to drive, but it's quite a different feeling."

He lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq two years ago, leaving this former West Point football player to re-learn how to get from point A to point B.

After just a few days, he can walk a mile. Balance is still a bit of a challenge. What's tough: coordinating what you feel with what you see while walking and getting used to being so far off the ground.

"I can already see myself doing things that I would normally not do, like maybe I might go shopping now, and browse," Gadson said.

Certified Prosthetist Michael Corcoran said, "For him, it's a long way off the ground, tough feeling, like falling off a table."

Gadson is the guinea pig for this new prosthesis that could be ready for amputees in a year.

"He's been a leader on the field, a leader in combat, now a leader in rehabilitation," Lt. Col. Paul Pasquina, M.D., of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, said.

Leading the way to for America's wounded heroes, step by step.

(Copyright NBC Newschannel, All Rights Reserved)

Flight of heroes: Soldiers who are gliding back from war's horrors

Brave soldiers maimed on the battlefield are being restored to physical and mental fitness - by becoming glider pilots.

The MoD is providing the flying lessons to boost their morale by showing them they can be just as good as ablebodied exponents of the sport.

And the courses are so successful that many of the heroes now have the skyhigh aim of returning to serve their regiments in world trouble spots despite shattered limbs and even amputations.

Major Martin Colclough, who runs the Battle Back programme, said: "Gliding is an incredibly liberating activity and so is perfect for helping the lads recover.

"The aim of rehabilitation is to restore their ability to serve and, judging by the feedback I'm getting, this innovative approach is proving very worthwhile."

In our exclusive photos from Wiltshire's Army Gliding Club, Gunner Mark Stonelake is typical of the guys who are intent on overcoming their handicaps.

The 24-year-old lost his left leg when the vehicle he was driving was blown up in Afghanistan last December. But Mark, from Hemel Hempstead, Herts, is desperate to rejoin his comrades at 29 Commando - and firmly believes gliding will help him achieve his goal.

Despite having to learn the basics on a prosthetic leg, he said: "You get a real buzz from being so high with no engine to rely on. I'm so glad I've had this opportunity to learn a new skill.

"It breaks up the routine of rehab and has given me something completely different to concentrate on. So it's speeding up the recovery process."

Mark, who also shattered his jaw and cheekbones and lost three teeth in the horror blast, admitted: "It's not going to be easy but I'm now set on getting back to my regiment with the lads. .

"When I finally came to after the explosion, I was lying in a hospital in Birmingham. I had absolutely no idea why, or what I was doing there.

"I remember trying to find my boots - and then being told I'd lost my leg.

"But the support from everyone has been overwhelming ever since - and I can't wait to get involved again."

Lance Corporal Daniel Whittingham, 23, smashed almost every bone below the waist when he was also caught in an Afghanistan explosion in January.

But despite his broken pelvis, coccyx, tibia, fibula, both ankles and heels, he remains admirably upbeat.

Taking a break from his Alexander Shleicher K21 glider, he grinned: "I guess my Olympic sprinting hopes are over. But the gliding has shown me there's plenty of other stuff for me. It's brilliant as you can compete with able-bodied gliders."

Daniel, of Nottingham, who serves with 11 Regiment the Royal Logistics Corps and has had 10 operations, added: "It's great to get out of the ward.

It can get boring even though the nurses are great. So being up in the clouds and learning something new at the same time is a huge bonus. I'm really enjoying myself."

Major Allan Tribe, of the Army Gliding Association, said: "We have to adapt each of the planes to suit the body of each particular injured soldier. But once they have been fully trained, there's no reason why they can't take on anyone."

We sailed the Atlantic .. 13 men with 12 legs between us

By Paul McNamara, 12/04/2009

THEY'VE duelled with death, been blown up by bombs, and survived catastrophic injuries.

But now a life on the ocean BRAVE has inspired an incredible new purpose and passion in a remarkable bunch of maimed British hero soldiers.

Today eight of this courageous band of brothers take on the world-famous Cowes regatta. But as they prepared to battle the Solent, they told of the historic sea challenge that turned their lives around- the first-ever ALL-AMPUTEE sailing crew to race across the Atlantic.

Private Chris Herbert, whose left leg was blown off by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007, said: "I never thought we'd make it. There were only 12 legs between the 13 crew members!

"Looking around I thought, 'What are we going to do if someone needs to climb the mast?'

"I found out the next day-when I was ordered to climb it! But when asked I didn't think about it, I just DID it.

"And that's how all the race was. No one cared about not having both legs, or even any legs. We just got on with it."

That's the incredible spirit and fellowship created by remarkable new charity Toe In The Water, dedicated to rehabilitating our injured servicemen by getting them out on the waves.

The determined crew entered last November's Atlantic Race Challenge from the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa to Barbados. And not only did the lads go the whole 2,000-mile, 10-day distance, they came THIRD!

Chris's crewmate Lance Corporal Johnathan Lee, 26, never imagined he'd go on a sailing boat. In fact after losing his right leg driving into a Taliban minefield in November 2007, he never thought he'd do ANYTHING ever again.

But the rookies' transatlantic dash aboard the 65ft Spirit of Juno changed all that.

"It was one of the most exhausting things I've ever done," Johnathan told us. "But it gave me incredible freedom. I did the whole trip WITHOUT my prosthetic leg as I found it easier to manoeuvre around the boat without it.

"It didn't hold me back a bit. I still got stuck in. It's all about the teamwork."

Buddy Chris, from Barnsley, South Yorks, had never been on a boat either, until last year.


He laughed: "But I got bitten by the bug and I love it." He loves it so much he's now taking a degree course with the UK Sailing Association on the Isle of Wight, aiming to become an elite sea captain.

But it's heartbeaking to hear how Chris's new-found joy was born out of appalling tragedy. His Yorkshire Regiment Land Rover blew up in Basra in February 2007, crippling him and killing his best mate Luke Simpson, just 21.

As Chris lay injured in the baking sun for two hours he was so convinced his fate was sealed that he even got out the 'death letters' he'd prepared for his loved ones.

He was just 20 minutes away from bleeding to death when he was evacuated to medical help.

Watching him today-just two years on-pulling to release the boat's mainsail before leaping nimbly across deck to shift its direction, you'd never believe he now lives with such a cruel disability.

It's the same story of true grit with comrade Johnathan, from Newark, Notts.

When his vehicle was blasted in Afghanistan, it overturned and when he gathered his senses, Johnathan realised he couldn't feel his right leg.

"I kept calm, concentrated on staying alive, and waited to be rescued," he said. "I took out my phone, turned the video camera on, and said goodbye to my mum.

"I wasn't scared. You're only ever scared of the unknown-and I knew that I was going to die."

Johnathan was eventually saved by a daring rescue mission into the minefield.

But the doctors' prognosis was poor-the leg would never recover.

Johnathan recalled: "All I said to them was 'Give me three days to say goodbye to it, and then it's yours.' "

And as he climbed aboard the boat in Cowes this weekend it was obvious his injury has definitely not dampened his zest for life.



"Life's too short," said Johnathan. It's all about getting on with it and making the most of it. And coming down here to sail with these world-class sailors has proven that to me. It's an amazing experience."

Cowes crewmate Sergeant Major Andy Newell of the Parachute Regiment agreed.



Battle

Andy, 40, from Farnham, Surrey, lost the use of his right arm three years ago in Afghanistan when a round from an AK-47 assault rifle tore a horrifying four-inch hole in his bicep.

"I got so angry being in Headley Court military hospital away from the troops," he said.

"After being a Para for 21 years, I couldn't cope with not being part of a team. I got very depressed."

But, like the others, he found liberation at sea.


"My first day's sailing was amazing," said Andy.

"The people we were sailing with didn't care about our disabilities, they just wanted to race and win-and the feeling was immense.

"When we got off the water, no-one asked how my arm was, all they wanted to know was how the boat sailed and what the conditions were like.

"I came home a new man and my wife said, 'Who are you?'

"She just couldn't believe the transformation back to my old self in such a short time. And neither could I." Marine David Martin-shot in the leg in Afghanistan-is grateful to Toe In The Water, too, and admits it's a pleasure just to be back on board a boat that's NOT heading into battle.

"I'm used to the water but it's nice to be on it knowing that the only 'unfriendlies' out there are just RACING against you," said David from Ashford, Kent.

On Friday David and the rest of the determined crew were joined by double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson, OBE.

She took the helm for a while and told us: "It's a privilege to sail with these guys. They're amazing people, all so enthusiastic and wanting to race as well as they can.

"There are definitely some future Paralympians here."

Robo Legs

Watch CBS Videos Online

Josh Bleill demonstrates his state of the art robotic legs.

(CBS) When Americans are wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq, no expense is spared to save their lives. But once they're home, if they have suffered an amputation of their arm, they usually end up wearing an artificial limb that hasn't changed much since World War II.

In all the wonders of modern medicine, building a robotic arm with a fully functioning hand has not been remotely possible.

But as 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley reports, that is starting to change. One remarkable leap in technology is called the DEKA arm and it's just one of the breakthroughs in a $100 million Pentagon program called "Revolutionizing Prosthetics."


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

Fred Downs has been wearing the standard prosthetic arm since 1968, after he stepped on a landmine in Vietnam.

"It's a basic hook. And I can rotate the hook like this and lock it," Downs told Pelley, demonstrating the limited movement ability of his prosthetic arm. "In those days they didn't have a lot of sophistication about it. They fit you and say, 'This is your arm, this is your leg.' And it was the best technology in those days and you just had to make yourself learn how to use it and I did."

Today, Downs is the head of prosthetics for the Veterans Health Administration. He told Pelley the technology used for his arm was developed during the World War II era.

"There's a hook, something out of Peter Pan. And that's just unacceptable," Dr. Geoffrey Ling, an Army colonel and neurologist who's leading the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, told Pelley

Col. Ling is a physician with big dreams and little patience, especially when touring Walter Reed Army Medical Center and meeting the troops he's working for. "We have a saying in the military, 'Leave no one behind.' And we are very serious about that. And that doesn't mean just on the battlefield, but also back at home," he said.

Ling told Pelley they've made great strides in artificial legs, but a good arm has never been within their grasp. "If you look at your hand, it's an incredibly complex piece of machine. What nature provides us is extraordinary. The opposable thumb, the five finger independently moving, articulating fingers. It's fantastic what this does."

"And when you lose your hand you've lost something that makes you human," Pelley remarked.

"You're so right Scott. Because, think about what makes us separate from every other animal species. We have an opposable thumb. That is, in fact, what makes us human," Ling said.

Ling is determined to give that humanity back. His project is run out of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - the same group that oversaw the creation of night vision, stealth aircraft, and GPS.

Ling told Pelley it's a very large scale project. "It is very much like a Manhattan Project at that scope. It is over $100 million investment now. It involves well over 300 scientists, that is engineers, neuroscientists, psychologists."

One of the scientists Ling asked to join the team is Dean Kamen, a sort of rock star in the world of inventors. His creations include dozens of medical devices, and the Segway.

They are inventions which have made him a multimillionaire.

"When the folks from the Defense Department came to this office and said, 'Here's what we need,' what did they tell you?" Pelley asked.

"We want these kids to have something put back on them that will essentially allow one of these kids to pick up a raisin or a grape off a table, know the difference without looking at it. That is an extraordinary goal," Kamen explained.

"He basically said, 'You're crazy.' That’s what he told us," Ling remembered. "He said flat out, he and he himself, who's a crazy guy himself, I mean he is very innovative thinking. He's a brilliant man, totally brilliant man, but mad scientist."

Kamen told Pelley he thought the Pentagon and DARPA were unbelievably optimistic in their expectations and that he told them that.

"He said to us, he said, 'I can do my, you're crazy. But, we're willing to rise to this, rise to the challenge because it’s important,'" Ling remembered.

Kamen took 60 Minutes behind the scenes at DEKA, his company in New Hampshire, to show Pelley how inspiration becomes invention.

"Engineers design a part on a computer, he fires it up here on our network," Kamen explained.

Click here for more reading on this story!

Creating The Bionic Arm

Watch CBS Videos Online

Thanks to the biggest innovation in prosthetic arms since World War II it's now possible for amputees to pick up small, delicate objects they never thought they would master. Scott Pelley reports.

April 12, 2009 4:45 PM

How my Legs Gave me Super Powers

In a recent robot roundup we mentioned an IEET essay on the ethics of designer prosthetics becoming a fashion statement. That article mentioned the example of Aimee Mullins, double-amputee and cyborg athlete. A reader pointed us to an interesting talk Aimee Mullins gave on the aesthetics of her prosthetics at the TED conference. She shows off a few of her legs including the life-like legs she uses for modeling, legs that give her an extra 6 inches of height, artistic legs that look like sculptures, polyurethane see-through legs and high-tech legs made of metal and carbon-fiber composites that give her extra speed in athletic competitions. Best line of the talk: Pamela Anderson has more prosthetics than I do and nobody calls her disabled.

Climber Still Seeks Larger Meaning in His Epic Escape

Aron Ralston has found celebrity on the adventure sports and motivational speaking circuits six years after cutting off his own hand to free himself from a boulder.

BOULDER, Colo. — He called it “my accident.”

MICHAEL BRICK
Published: March 31, 2009

On Saturday, April 26, 2003, without telling anyone his plans, Aron Lee Ralston set out alone through Robbers Roost, a steep, treacherous, largely abandoned parcel of southeastern Utah backcountry last bent to human will by Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who had found its forbidding terrain favorable to hiding from the law.

Five days later, after several unsuccessful attempts to dislodge an 800-pound boulder that was crushing his right hand, Ralston snapped first the radius and then the ulna of his forearm near the wrist, applied a makeshift tourniquet, sawed through the cartilage with a throwaway multitool, rappelled to the base of Blue John Canyon and hiked until he came upon a rescue helicopter.

“It was a blessing in a way,” Ralston, now 33, said of the experience. “It made me think about the way I was living.”

The story of the crucible in Blue John Canyon has resonated through countless discussions of fortitude, indomitability and the will to live. But for Ralston, who has found enduring celebrity on the adventure sports and motivational speaking circuits, it has produced a struggle to divine some transformative meaning.

“He’s more serious now, and by that I mean not somber but intense,” said Ralston’s younger sister, Sonja Ralston Elder, 28, a law student. “He does things with more focus, more purpose than before.”

Raised partly in a farmhouse in Ohio, Ralston moved around as a boy before enrolling at Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied mechanical engineering, French and piano. Among the East Coast intelligentsia, he said, he carried his Rocky Mountain home address as a badge of honor and a shield. He caught the ski bug, spent summers rafting the Arkansas River and set out to make his name as the first mountaineer to reach the summit of all 59 of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks alone in the wintertime.

But the episode in Blue John Canyon brought him a different sort of fame.

To see video click here

To some, Ralston’s story was an inspiration. His 368-page account, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place,” rose to No. 3 on the New York Times best-seller list. Corporations paid him $15,000 to $37,000 for motivational speeches. Wilderness conservation groups deployed him to raise donations. Schools invited him to speak to children, who often asked to examine his prosthetic hand. Travelers recognized him at airports. Strangers sent him letters. A film version of his ordeal is in the works.

To others, though, his story was the cautionary tale of a heedless fool. By Ralston’s own written account, he had nearly drowned, disturbed a bear and stumbled into an avalanche on earlier adventures. Failure to leave word of his whereabouts in Utah, ignoring one of the most basic rules of hiking, drew sharp rebukes.

“Aron Ralston has a death wish,” one book reviewer concluded.

A month after his rescue, Ralston appeared before a gymnasium of students at his childhood middle school, where he was greeted with enthusiastic applause. But the eighth graders asked probing questions, according to a transcript of the session. Ralston, still wearing a sling at the time, was prompted to discuss his reasons for venturing out alone, his thoughts on death and his prospects for a movie deal, to which he responded, “I don’t think I can really talk about that.”

So went the early appearances for a public speaker whose presentation, as described in promotional materials from his handlers at the Harry Walker Agency, “redefines the understanding of sacrifice, goal-attaining and what is truly important in our lives.”

By owning up to his mistakes, Ralston has managed to deflate some criticism. But even as he goes about sharing his life lessons, he has returned to unaccompanied wilderness adventure. He has entered several long-distance endurance races. In 2005, with the aid of his prosthetic, he completed his effort to solo-climb the 14,000-foot peaks of Colorado.

Last year, Ralston signed on to advise the arctic explorer Eric Larsen in his preparation to ascend Mount Everest. He has not decided whether to join the expedition. On the side, he has been organizing an African safari and an 18-day rafting voyage through the Grand Canyon.

“Before the accident, he had quit his job as an engineer and moved to Aspen to be in the outdoors and do what he loves,” Elder, his sister, said. “It’s just that what happened to him has vindicated this choice about doing what you love and not being defined by other people’s expectations.”

To continue the story click here

Congenital Amputee Kyle Maynard to Fight MMA Match--Updated with poll

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas. Two years or so ago this issue of Maynard fighting MMA caused heated debate within the community about whether a) Maynard had a right to compete and b) right or not, whether it was safe for him or fair for his opposition. I'd be curious to see where sentiments are today.

Courtesy of MMAfighting via Deadspin comes the tale of an armless, legless phenom whose about to enter the cage:

The amateur fight will happen at "Auburn Fight Night" at the Auburn Covered Center.

The 22-year-old Maynard in 2004 won the ESPN ESPY award Best Athlete With A Disability.

Maynard was previously denied a license to fight MMA by the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission.

YouTube of him wrestling from Larry King Live after the jump. He cites Randy Couture as an inspiration:

Amputee wants one last surf before he goes

MORNING READ: Mohammad Malek is heading home for now, but he's taking a few waves first.
By LAYLAN CONNELLY
The Orange County Register
Comments 0| Recommend 2

Mohammad Malek sat in a bush, bleeding, waiting for help.

While riding his bike home from his job at a bakery, Malek, then 16, had stopped to wander off the road to gather twigs so his family could make a fire.

But there'd been a sudden explosion, and his lower right leg had been torn from his body.

"I was looking for someone to come help me for 15 minutes," he recalls. "Nobody come."

So, unsure if help would arrive, he tried to hop his way to safety.

But he hit another landmine. And his lower left leg was blown off too.

Soon, he was spotted by a group of Afghan soldiers. Scared that the area was littered with landmines, they threw him a branch.

Shrapnel laced his hands. His only option was to bite down and hold on with his teeth.

Malek, sitting recently on the sand in Seal Beach, recalls his thoughts as the soldiers dragged his legless body out of the minefield:

"No more life. No more family. No more friends.

"I was scared."



COMING TO AMERICA

In 2005, the year he was hurt, Malek couldn't get the treatment he needed in his home country, Afghanistan.

So Loma Linda University – which has a sister hospital in Kabul – offered him help at their hospital.

Malek says the offer made him feel lucky – and scared.

"You're Muslim," his friends told him. "They're Christian."

"I heard only bad. 'Oh, maybe they kill me'," he remembers thinking as he flew into LAX.

But what he found was something different from he expected.

He met friends, lots of them. He got a girlfriend. He learned how to swim, and got so good at it that he entered competitions. He learned to love basketball and volleyball. He regularly eats pizza and spaghetti, which he says he can't get at home.

And he discovered surfing.

A NATURAL SURFER

Malek's first glimpse of surfing came last year, during a beach outing in Los Angeles. He was on a pier, still in a wheelchair, and he pushed himself close to the rail to get a better look as the surfers below paddled into waves.

Timothy Hickman, a director at the hospital, noted Malek's interest. Hickman also remembered watching a television news feature in which Michael Pless, owner of M & M Surfing School in Seal Beach, taught people with disabilities how to surf.

So, last April, a surf lesson was arranged for Malek.

That day, everyone on the sand was nervous — even Pless — who had never taught a double amputee how to surf. Communication wasn't easy.

Still, if there's such a thing as a natural surfer, Malek was it. He learned how to paddle and how to read the ocean. He learned to get his board on the face of the wave and, even without legs, when to get up.

He shocked spectators that day by riding wave after wave – on his head.

ANOTHER WAVE

That was nearly a year ago. Now, Malek's treatment in the U.S. is finished. On Wednesday, March 25, he's slated to head home.

He had a final request before leaving America -- to surf.

And that's why Malek is back at Seal Beach; watching, anticipating.

"Wow," he says, pointing at the incoming waves. "Look at that."

His friend Paul Uyeda, 33, has come along to snap photos that Malek can take home. He isn't surprised that Malek wants another wave.

"He has no fear with any kind of sport."

Malek has picked up surfer lingo. He says things like "hey dude" and "awesome" and "chillax." And, when Malek and Uyeda pose for pictures, they flash a shaka "hang ten" sign. Malek even flexes his sturdy muscles.

A lot has changed since Malek's first surf session.

He has prosthetic legs, which he uses to walk on the sand. He also speaks English as if he's been here for years, so he no longer needs an interpreter. And he refuses the life jacket he used a year ago, confident he's a strong enough swimmer to take on crashing waves.

But one thing hasn't changed – Malek is still a natural.

As he paddles out, Malek plows head on into the waves, so they don't knock him over or back. Pless tries to follow behind.

Then, within seconds of getting in the surf zone, Malek is paddling into his first wave. It knocks him down, and he tumbles in the whitewash. But, without hesitation, he starts to paddle back out.

It doesn't take long before he's breaking out his signature move – the headstand – with nearby surfers cheering. He throws his arms up in victory for cameras snapping his photo.

Uyeda grabs his surfboard to join in. Soon, the competitive Malek comes out.

"Let's go, let's go," Malek yells as he paddles alongside Uyeda, beating his friend in a quick game of who-can-paddle-faster.

For more than two hours, Malek takes wave after wave.

Micheal Pless Jr. – helping a group of new surfing students nearby – calls out to Malek after he catches a wave.

"How did you like it?

"It was good, dude," he responds as he passes, his eyes focused on the horizon as he searches for more waves.

DR. MALEK?

Back home, in Kabul – where his parents, five brothers and three sisters live – the only water they get is during heavy rains, when enough falls to form a flat lake, Malek says.

While he's excited to see friends and family, there's a lot he'll miss here – like his girlfriend.

She cried when he announced he was going home. "I told her, 'It's OK, we'll talk on Skype.' I love her."

Educational opportunities in Afghanistan are limited. But Malek plans to finish two years of high school, then return to the United States for college. Perhaps, he says, he'll become a doctor and help people like himself.

"I enjoy every second with United States. I like to stay here. I will come back soon."

Another perk of coming back: "I can surf a lot."

And he has something to brag about to his friends at home.

"I'm much better. Last year, I was very bad," he says of his surfing, as he takes a quick break on the sand. "I like surfing. I like to go back and surf again."

And with that, he paddles back into the surf, to catch a few more waves.

Climb offers message of hope for injured soldiers

12:00pm Saturday 21st March 2009

By Paul Ferguson »

AN SAS amputee is hoping to climb Africa’s highest peak in aid of Britain’s wounded soldiers.

Stuart Trow wants to raise £10,000 for Help for Heroes by conquering Kilimanjaro in October.

The former soldier was Brit-ain’s first casualty in Afghan-istan and has worn a prosthetic limb since being shot in 2001.

But disability and the Taleban haven’t ruined his life – and he’s now ready to scale new heights to help his fellow injured soldiers.

Mr Trow, aged 32, spent three years in Hereford and Creden-hill before flying to Afghanistan shortly after September 11.

His mission ended a few weeks later when his leg was struck by three bullets. He spent four weeks in hospital after his leg was amputated from the knee down, while his rehabilitation went on for months.

The married father-of-two struggled with depression and his new leg, but eventually beat the blues and set his sights on Africa. He hopes the walk will inspire other wounded soldiers and raise plenty of money for Help for Heroes.

“It took me a long time to get over the mental and physical side of things, but afterwards I felt really glad to be alive,” he said. “I see some soldiers coming back in a sad state, and this trip is to give something back to those guys.

“I’ve been through what they’re going through and came through the other side, and it’s really not the end.”

Mr Trow is training on the south Shropshire hills and plans to climb Snowdon and Ben Nevis ahead of his African adventure.

Climbing 6,000 metres in six days could prove a struggle with a prosthetic limb, but the former soldier knows that who dares, wins.

“I’m slowly increasing the training depending on how I am with my leg, but it’s not so much the climbing, it’s dealing with the amputation,” he said. “It will be a tough physical challenge but it’s the least I can do to help our armed forces.”

For more information or to sponsor Stuart, visit www.just giving.com/heroclimb

Adam Bender, Age 9, Wrestles on 1 Leg

Last year we told you about Adam Bender, an 8-year-old who had his leg amputated at the pelvis when he was a year old, but managed just fine when playing baseball on one leg. Today we have word that Adam has taken up another sport.

The video above shows Adam, who lives in Lexington, Kentucky, wrestling in a state tournament, where he made it all the way to the finals. When he's grappling on the ground, Adam doesn't seem particularly disabled, and he's the latest of several young athletes to show that wrestling is a sport in which amputees often find success.

Adam, who has been profiled on ESPN, also plays football and soccer.

Video via NBCWashington.com.
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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...

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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.