Prosthetic limbs as art

Great video and article about turning prosthetic limbs into art over at CNN this morning.

One user commented that the contour of the new limb matches his thigh size on his leg, which makes an enormous difference when he looks down at his prosthetic limb. Another woman said she was stopped in the grocery store by someone who commented on how beautiful her prosthetic leg is.

Would love to see a documentary on this, exploring different points of views and experiences by amputees.

Fun with Amputees- What to do with an empty pant leg

Love this video from the series by x360xgamer over on YouTube. Recommend the whole series of videos, which talk about serious - and funny- issues he deals with as an amputee.

Q&A about Flying as an Amputee

Amputee extreme crutching

Amputee bike riding

Wes talks about bike riding and rock climbing experiences as an amputee. His video shows footage at his college campus where he is attending a graduate program.

Disability & Discrimination FAQ Video

A college student who is a congenital amputee talks about her experiences involving school and employment opportunities.

Survival of the Fittest- Or Not?

Imagine being on a reality show and having a tribe member who is a world class athlete, who has world records in distance running, won gold at the NY triathlon, and has finished the Hawaii Ironman.

And then imagine that you reject her because you don't want to go to the finals with a 'charity case'.

This is not a hypothetical situation. It really happened this season on Survivor. But you see this athlete is an amputee. What the tribe members saw was her disability, not her ability.

The October 20th episode of Survivor: Nicaragua featured the elimination of Kelly Bruno, a 26-year-old medical student from North Carolina. Although she was good at challenges and helped with work around her tribe's camp, she was voted off for one simple reason. Kelly is a below-the-knee amputee. In their on-camera interviews and during their conversations around camp, several of Kelly's tribe mates were heard saying that they needed to get rid of her because no one wanted to go to the finals with "a charity case." They figured that the members of the jury would give Kelly the million dollars because they felt sorry for all that she'd been through in her life.

What they succumbed to was the stigma of disability.

Disability often carries a stigma that many people don't want to be associated with. People with disabilities, whether from birth or acquired later in life through injury or illness, are often marked as being weak, fragile and unable to do even the simplest things for themselves. As in the case of Kelly Bruno, other people may see those with disabilities as objects of pity or people to be looked down upon.

Their loss.

Read more at Suite101: The Stigma of Disability http://www.suite101.com/content/the-stigma-of-disability-a303818#ixzz14K8sGFGD

The Amputee Rap: Meet Josh Sundquist

Josh is a Paralympian, an author, a motivational speaker - and downright funny.



And here's a link to his blog and book.

Josh made this video for amputees in Haiti.

Haitian amputees create community at L'Escale

via MSNBC's series on Haiti's amputees Building a Life Worth Living:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In this video, a 4 year old tries out his prosthetic leg for the first time:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Limbs for Life is collecting used limbs for amputees in Haiti.

Amputee Empowerment Partners

A new community, called Amputee Empowerment Partners , just started in February 2010, as a safe place for amputees and those they love to connect, share and understand each other. The site includes forums, blogs, videos and photos - and more- and there are already 400 members and counting. Membership is free. Members range from those who have been amputees for decades to those who recently became amputees, amputees who have diabetes to congenital amputees to veterans who are amputees, young and old.

I visited the site a few times and was touched by the warm support shown by members toward each other. It's easy to find and make new friends who have dealt with the same issues.

The resources are wonderful. I watched a video of a woman's first steps as an amputee with her prosthetic leg, read about sports and social outings and was able to find information on everything from adjusting to becoming an amputee to fine tuning one's life and self empowerment.

Below is a video called Walk Day:


Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees



And here's one showing Heath, who is a bilateral above knee double amputee, cycling for the first time:


Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees


The founder of the site is Carrie Davis, who has a congenital below-elbow limb deficiency and is an Upper Extremity patient advocate. Her mission is to provide real life information from people who really get it to empower amputees. She's created a site that does that.

I hope my readers will spread the word about this warm, strong and supportive community to amputees and those they love. As a person with friends who are amputees, I'll be visiting again and again.

More groups helping amputees in Haiti

Please see article here, list is reprinted below.

via msnbc.com

Some groups aiding quake victims:

Handicap International: Co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for work with land mine victims, the agency conducts 250 programs in 60 countries. The group has been working in Haiti since 2008.

Amputee Coalition of America: Provides resources and education for amputees in the U.S. and around the world.

Healing Hands for Haiti: Aid agency has worked for more than a decade providing help for 800,000 disabled Haitians.

Physicians for Peace: Provides medical education and training in developing countries, including Haiti.

Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics Inc.: U.S. largest supplier of devices. Sites nationwide are accepting used crutches, braces, wheelchairs and prosthetics.

American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association: National trade association of manufacturers and suppliers of braces and artificial limbs.

Prosthetics Outreach Foundation: Helps amputees in the developing world gain mobility.

Legs for All: LeTourneau University program that helps clinics in developing countries produce inexpensive, durable prosthetics locally.

Limbs for Life Foundation: Helping re-establish prosthetic supply and distribution for Haiti in the Dominican Republic.

via msnbc.com

60 Minutes feature on the Deka Arm

The Pentagon's attempt to improve prosthetic limbs was featured on 60 minutes this evening: the Deka Arm. It connects to the body using balloons, allowing heavier items to be lifted. Buttons located in one's shoes control the arm. A Vietnam vet was shown grabbing a bottle of Coke and drinking it, as well as handling small nuts and screws with the Deka Arm. Another amputee was shown picking up a single grape without crushing it. Some of the technology used in prosthetic legs, such as the Power Knees, is applied. The Deka Arm is now undergoing clinical testing.

She's got game

As the US open goes on, I ran across this NY Times story about Kelly Bruno, a 24 year old Paralympian, triathlete, aspiring medical student and....ball girl. And, oh yeah, she's an amputee.

Bruno was born with several defects in her right leg and has been an amputee since she was 6 months old. By 18, she had turned herself into a track star among disabled athletes, with her own sponsorship deals. And as a world-class triathlete and Ironman competitor, she has raced in some of the most grueling events on the planet.

Now, at 24, Bruno has scaled back her training for three weeks to shuttle back and forth across courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to scoop up balls at the net. In a job done correctly only by those who are barely noticed, Bruno has stood out by blending in.

via NYTimes.com

{image description: Kelly Bruno is pictured, leaning down in her navy blue, red striped US Open ball girl outfit, holding a tennis ball.}

Izzy, Willy- Nilly- A YA Book

Last night I read a Young Adult novel by Cynthia Voigt entitled Izzy ,Willy -Nilly, about a 15 year old cheerleader who, after taking a ride from an intoxicated high school senior, is in a car accident and has a leg amputated as a result. The book is written in the first person and at least half of it covers her time in the hospital, then follows her home as she goes from using a walker and wheelchair to crutches, goes back to school, deals with a trio of friends who get real busy and have no time for her (one of whom dates the senior who was driving) and makes new friends.

Unfortunately the book ends just as Izzy is about to get her prosthesis, which limits discussions about living with a disability, rather than about acquiring one and dealing with the immediate aftermath.

The first person narrative is effective as Izzy copes with medical treatment, the reactions of family and friends, and gets to know herself better. I also liked the fact that she is not portrayed as a superhero. She doesn't want to go back to school, for example, and face everyone. There is a genuine portrayal of a real friendship that Izzy finds with Rosamunde, who visits her in the hospital and in a direct and compassionate way challenges Izzy so she can move on in ways her parents seem unable to do.

In one scene, Rosamunde visits Izzy's hospital room, described as stark and empty, bringing library books, a batik and vase her mother made, fun food and a game to play. Izzy looks around and says to herself the room doesn't look like hers- it's messy, but she she likes it. Her mother, who is very concerned with appearances, initially dislikes Rosamunde, but begins to understand that as a friend she sees what Izzy needs in ways her family may not.

I like the message of this book, that the changes that come with acquiring a disability are positive and it's also okay to get support for what may be tough to handle. It deals with issues such as staring, motivation, DWI, personal empowerment, empathy, friendship, and the myth that people with disabilities are asexual. It's not a new book (published in 1995) but a worthwhile - and quick - read for those either dealing with or learning about acquiring a disability.

Pistorius wins appeal

Don't have time to do much but a link and it was a unanimous decision.

Insurers Pressed to Pay More for Prostheses

A Wall Street Journal article forwarded by Meredith.

Many private health plans cap prosthesis coverage at $2,500 or $5,000 a year, or pay for just one device per limb in a lifetime, sometimes even for a growing child. The most basic devices can cost between $3,000 and $15,000, while mechanically advanced or computer-assisted models can cost up to $40,000.

Now, amputees and prosthetic-device makers are pushing state legislatures around the country to pass laws that mandate prosthesis coverage. The goal is to force private health plans to offer coverage comparable to that provided by Medicare, which pays at least 80% of the cost of prostheses and allows regular replacement of artificial limbs.
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So far eight states have passed laws which require coverage of prostheses which is comparable to Medicare. 27 other states are considering the same kind of legislation.

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The Amputee Coalition of America, an advocacy group backed by both prosthesis makers and individual amputees, has launched a campaign to introduce a bill in Congress. A big backer of the effort is Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., the biggest player in the $2.5 billion U.S. prosthetics market. The coalition plans to enlist amputated Iraq war veterans -- many of whom have state-of-the-art prostheses through veterans' benefits -- to help make the case.
via Wall Street Journal Online

To read more about how the high cost of these devices affects families and people with disabilities, see the article. As one father of an amputee put it, you'd think they'd be willing to pay for an arm or a leg when you need one.

{Update: I found this story on CNN about a wounded Iraqi man whose wife is caring for him. He's unable to get prosthetic legs and she has to carry him . It highlights the lack of independence that mobility issues present. I'd like to add that there are people in our country as well who do without mobility equipment as well, behind closed doors and that when we read these stories, it's good to remember that rather than leaving it up to chance to solve one by one, we need to find solutions so that people can have the equipment they need.]

New device generates power from knee movement

I was reading about a knee brace that generates power as a person walks, which can be used to charge a cell phone and has possible applications for prosthetic limbs. It's all over the news, and there's a picture which I'll be happy to find a link for tomorrow. They did say that the prototype is larger than they would like. So they have to work on that.

I was thinking about how useful it would be to have a source of power that could regenerate my power chair, as it went along. For some reason I'm getting images of my cat running a treadmill alongside my chair. Considering his nap time to work ratio, I'm not very optimistic about that as the power source.

UPDATE: Here's a link to an article and photo.

And I also found this post talking about the Flash's Cosmic Treadmill, a time travel device that you use by running on a treadmill. I love it when the scifi images from the past crop up in new technology.

Bluetooth technology being used with prosthetic legs

Two vets who are double amputees are testing them. One Iraq vet, Gregory Gadson, who is an amputee is trying them out. A former linebacker at West Point, he says that he hopes this technology, after testing is completed, can eventually used by many more people. Joshua Bleill, a Marine, is also using the prosthetic legs.

Removable Parts

is showing in NY this week. It's a theatre work about voluntary amputation (also called BIID) and devotees, a subject discussed in our recent blog carnival about sexuality and disability.

"Body Integrity Identity Disorder, or BIID, is a psychological condition in which the individual requests an elective amputation. Individuals with this condition experience the persistent desire to have their body physically match the idealized image they have of themselves." via biid.org

I've linked to a NY Times review above.

"Running Out of His Lane"

I'd like to give a hat tip to Penny Richards over at DisStudies Temple U for the link to this article by Kenny Fries in the Washington Post about Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee runner who is trying to qualify for the Olympics. Fries' article is interesting. He writes:

"By contesting the notion that a disabled runner cannot, and should not, compete with nondisabled runners, Pistorius has challenged preconceived ideas not only of sport but of what it means to be human."

I've written about this story before. I've also written about Tatyana McFadden, the Paralympic high school track athlete who lost her court bid to compete in high school track and have her score count toward her team's score. (See label below). And, as some of my readers know, I've played competitive wheelchair tennis for the past decade, so I have a few thoughts to add to this debate -as a disabled athlete.

Controversy over these two athletes has run high. It strikes me, based on my experiences, that it is when athletes with disabilities not only try to " run out of their lane", as in compete against able bodied athletes, that there is a hot debate, but this heats up mostly when those athletes can and do win.

I saw this happen in my own experiences playing against able bodied tennis players. Because I am a quadriplegic, I have to attach my tennis racket to my hand with duct tape due to a lack of grip and dexterity. I don't look very imposing before I start playing - let's face it. I'm in a wheelchair and I have a tennis racket attached with duct tape.

So on a few occasions when I've been over at a local club practicing and I've had able bodied tennis players ask me to "play a few points", none of them really expected too much of me. One guy insisted he didn't even need shoes so he tried to play against me in flip flops. After he lost a few points, he said to me "Hey, you can really play! I didn't know that" as if I'd somehow fooled him and then said he was going to find his sneakers. I never saw him again. I've had other players wipe their brows after a few points and suddenly decide they have an appointment somewhere and have to leave. One woman looked over her shoulder at the parking lot and said to me "I hope no one is watching you beat me like this. I'll never live it down!"

And then there were the comments, like "Well I guess that wheelchair is faster than running for the ball" and "Maybe you don't get as heated up as we do when running" and (my personal favorite) "I could hit the ball better if I taped my racket on too." (I always tell folks they can borrow my duct tape. One woman took me up on this only to discover it limited her to one grip and she shook her head confused saying "I guess it isn't an advantage to tape it on.")

Having this happen over and over again leads me to think that none of these folks wanted to play tennis with a disabled person who, well, plays better than them.

So when I hear the pundits crying out that Pistorius' blades give him an advantage over the other runners, my ears go up. Ahh, a familiar tune. What's really going on here?

When Tatyana first ran track meets in her wheelchair, there were concerns about injuries. Then she won meets - and there were concerns about her score counting. She has an advantage, was the outcry.

You can't win. If you're not a good athlete, you might hurt someone. If you're too good, well, you have an advantage.

I've tried to just cover these stories without adding my experiences. But , in the end, I just can't help but compare. Some might say I just ran into a lot of poor sports over the years. But there you have it- that's what I think is going on.

Just pass me the duct tape.