"Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life."
~Pythagoras

The August 2008 issue of In Motion, a magazine published by the Amputee Coalition of America, will forever be engrained in my memory. 
I had been a member of the ACA and a Certified Peer Visitor for some time but I never really stopped to read the magazine. Over the years, they just sort of piled up at my house and ended up in the garage. I returned to Tampa from a long trip to Texas, where I visited a fellow meningococcal meningitis survivor who was in the hospital recovering from bilateral below knee and bilateral below elbow amputations, somewhat at a loss for how to reach out to him. He had been a football player at school when he got sick.

My presence seemed to inspire his family but seemed to have little if any effect on him. I am a bilateral BKA myself, missing a few fingers, and have permanent organ failure but my losses seemed very different for me. I am no athlete; I like shopping... shoes... and doing peer visits. The core of my vitality was not changed as much as his and I went home feeling rather ineffective as a peer visitor for the first time.

On the plane ride home, I thought a lot about him and tried to figure out ways to reach out to him... I came up with some ideas, not knowing what might work. When I got home, I sorted through my mail that had been piling up over the week and upon glancing at the cover of my In Motion magazine, I was in disbelief! I sat in the living room, speechless for a good 10 minutes as I read the article. I couldn''t believe it. I am not so sure about destiny, fate, or whatever people want to call it but it was if someone placed this article in the magazine, just for me and my new friend.

The article was about Rayna Dubose, a highly recruited basketball player who played at Virginia Tech. She was so good; she definitely would have had a career in professional basketball. Her sophomore year at school, she contracted the same disease we did and lost all four limbs. At the end of the article, was an email address. I send her a message explaining my predicament and asking for her help. I did not wholeheartedly expect a response, since I figured she would be a very busy lady. Much to my delight, a few days later, she responded and said she would be happy to help! I put the two of them in contact with each other and she helped/encouraged him along in his recovery both emotionally and physically.

I also extended an invitation to her to join a non-profit organization that I work with to support families affected by meningitis. She did and later that year, we finally got to meet in person at the national conference. All three of us... sharing a devastating disease as the common thread we could have done without but using that thread to weave together an amazing friendship. Since that conference, Rayna and I have become even closer... we understand each other in ways that other people in our lives simply cannot. We have the support of amazing families, friends, amputees, and other meningitis survivors... but few can relate to exactly how we got to where we are. I eventually came to find out that she is a shopper too... and a hotdog eater... and an avid reality show watcher. One of my favorite pictures of us of all times is at the Capitol in DC watching a hotdog vending machine (and MAN were we upset when we found out it was broken)!

She has taught me that with enough hard work our bodies can overcome even the most severe insult. I am amazed that she runs, walks even through big airports without using a wheelchair, and that she uses her story to inspire and help so many other people. I asked her if there was anything she had learned from me and she said, "You taught me to appreciate life because for us to be so diffrerent, we''re so much alike just because of a disease. I love the fact that you love life and are full of energy!" Rayna and I both speak at a lot of events across the country for various causes. Sometimes people that do the things we do and have survived what we have can be put on a pedestal. It is nice for Rayna and I to have each other to vent and unwind to. We are not superheroes. We are only people who happen to have more good days than bad but when we do have the rare bad day, we have each other... and a friendship that will last a life time!

Rayna has chosen to do motivational speaking as a career… here is the link to her site: http://www.raynadubose.net/
I speak a bit but I also make jewelry inspired by the amazing people I have encountered in life… here is the link to my site: http://www.lifes-gems.com/

Breast cancer survivor Janet Malloy has had her share of problems—but she recogniz- es that they have prepared her to actively help others. In fact, she stresses that the reason for sharing her story is to reach others with useful information based on her own experience— information that may spare them from the same consequences.

Originally from Maryland, Malloy and her husband William relocated to Arkansas as a result of fate taking a hand and altering their plans. Avid travelers, the retired Malloys were visiting in Arkansas with their RV, when William suffered a heart attack in 1996. Within 15 days, he suffered a second heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Little Rock.
 

In 1998 Steve Burns lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident, but he was determined that it wouldn''t slow him down. He had heard about some of the new technologies in prosthetic limbs and knew that he would be able to get back into his lifestyle of golfing, bowling, boating and diving. Today, he stays on the go as Captain of the Wilmington Fire Team and a worker for 38 years at the Tesoro Oil Refinery.“When I go to the gym I use my Flex-Foot®. When I go to the river I put on my leg with water shoes, or one for diving with my diving suit. I have a special one for my fire suit, and then of course there''s the PROPRIO FOOT® that I use all the time.” says Steve. The PROPRIO FOOT that Steve received through Human Designs is the world''s first intelligent foot module and the wide automated range of ankle and foot flexion it provides classifies it as "as close as you can get to the human foot today."

Steve and his wife Dana recently celebrated their 37th Anniversary, and it was Dana who brought him to Human Designs. Seven years ago Dana began looking for a new prosthetist to help Steve in managing his active lifestyle. Steve says that Dana checked everywhere to find the best and wanted to work with Human Designs. With a busy day to day and a third granddaughter on the way, Steve makes the most of his prostheses and doesn''t hesitate for new adventures.

Isaiah was born on March 18, 2005. He had a pretty challenging start to life. Not only was he seven weeks premature and only 3 pounds 5 ounces, but he was born without a tibia in his right leg (tibial aplasia), and with a condition called electrodactyly that created hands missing several digits. We knew from the beginning that Isaiah would never be able to walk on his right leg. Without the tibia, there was no bone structure to support an ankle or to anchor his foot. However, he quickly put on weight and began to thrive as any typical healthy bouncing baby boy. X-rays confirmed the lack of bone structure in his right leg, and the doctors told us to just get him through his first year (he could certainly crawl the same as any other baby), and then decisions would be made when he reached walking age.

Isaiah had his first amputation shortly after his first birthday. The surgeons amputated the foot and preserved the lower leg with the hope that a fully functional knee would develop. Isaiah received his first prosthesis shortly after – a stiff legged prosthesis with a “nub” that extended from the back for his lower leg to rest in. Isaiah very soon after learned to walk. At age three, it was very clear that neither bone nor ligaments were developing in the lower leg, and there would be no knee structure. So Isaiah had his second amputation that summer, a through the knee procedure. Isaiah’s recovery was much more difficult with the second amputation, but he weathered the storm.

That fall, Isaiah received his first prosthesis with a fully functional knee. We knew shortly after that the decision for the second amputation was the right one. Isaiah was experiencing so much more freedom with the new prosthesis. He was able to walk with a more natural gait, and had much more flexibility for kneeling, jumping, and running. Isaiah is now 4 years old. He is one of the most active children in our neighborhood. He loves to “shoot hoops” and particularly likes to have someone defend him while he slips around to make the basket.(Isaiah’s special request for his prosthesis was a basketball pattern on the upper leg sleeve). He rides his Razor scooter with boundless energy, confidently pushing off with his prosthetic leg while balancing on the scooter with the other. The team at Human Designs has been so supportive of Isaiah and sees all the great potential in this little boy.

Isaiah knows absolutely no limits in life. He’s learning to play the violin and piano, goes to the gym once a week for gymnastics lessons, and is a pro at Wii bowling. He is in his second year of skiing lessons and is now confidently pointing his skis downhill and going as fast as he can. The Orange County chapter of Disabled Sports USA has been wonderfully supportive of his desire to learn. Isaiah was recognized as DSUSA-OCs “most inspirational athlete” at the end of his first year of lessons.

He loves to wrestle with his siblings and have contests on the backyard trampoline. (His siblings show no mercy – yet another reason Isaiah is one tough little boy). His parents are thankful for the professional and loving care he’s received from doctors, nurses, therapists, and prostheticians alike. They have all seen and nurtured Isaiah’s remarkable courage and vigor for life. There’s no holding this little boy back. 

 If you ask Kathie Donatelli about her current project, her eyes sparkle as she describes the ceiling mural she is currently painting for a young boy that is receiving it through the Make a Wish Foundation. He is now thirteen and has been bedridden since birth, spending his days gazing at the ceiling above him and not speaking. Kathie has designed a beautiful blue sky with airy clouds, hot air balloons, and an angel to watch over him.

The oldest of twelve children, Kathie was born in Plainfield, New Jersey with a congenital condition that kept the bones in her feet from forming and developing. When she was born, the doctors said she would never walk. But, her dad was convinced her legs were strong enough to hold her up and she had good balance as a baby. To teach her to walk in 1947, Kathie''s father put cinder blocks in a baby carriage and had her hold onto the handles as he pulled it around. Her first pair of shoes were leather baby shoes with cork in the toes to keep them from turning upward as she walked, and did not receive her first pair of prostheses until she was twelve.

After graduating from DuCret School of Art in 1969, Kathie followed her passion for art to LA in 1991 as a self-employed mural painter and portrait artist. She has since been commissioned to design, paint and install over a dozen private, corporate and public murals ranging in size up to 2,000 square feet, and has apprentice workshops in her studio for local art students. Benefits that Kathie donated commissioned portraits to, by invitation, include: The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund; City of Hope; American Heart Association; California Afro-American Museum of Art; and many more.

Kathie came to Human Designs more than 5 years ago by circumstances she says can only be described as "serendipity." She was hired by an interior designer to design and paint a wall finish on her client''s dining room walls. Her clients were Eric and Andrea Ferraco and at that time Kathie was experiencing many painful problems with her prostheses.

When the designer introduced them she mentioned that the Ferraco''s were in the business of Prosthetics and Orthotics. "I stood there for a moment as the realization hit that this was no accident and these people were sent to me by Divine Providence. I was matched up with Human Designs and am now wearing the most comfortable prostheses I''ve ever had." Kathie''s prostheses now allow her to focus on her students and her art, rather than being limited by mobility.

To find out more about Kathie Donatelli''s exceptional art, please visit her website at www.artbydonatelli.com.

Hi. My name is Tom Hampton. I am 53 years old. I grew up in Manhattan Beach. Growing up in Southern California allowed me to excel at the sports that would ultimately shape my life - snow skiing, water skiing and surfing. I played football for 10 years. I received my Red Cross Advanced First Aid card at thirteen so I could be on the National Ski Patrol as a junior patrolman. The taste of rescue led me to a career as a firefighter. For 30 years, I was able to help others in dire situations. How rewarding is that! I began paragliding at the age of 45. I advanced to the top of the sport, becoming a Tandem Instructor with the United States Hang Gliding Paragliding Association.

After seven years of flying, one sunny day in August 2007, I crashed. The injuries I sustained from the 50 foot fall out of the sky would change my life forever. I suffered multiple fractures, head trauma and serious injury to my spinal cord. Not only did I lose participation in all my physical sports, this would be the accident that ended my beloved career in the fire service. I have escaped death many times, both on and off the job, but never have I been so close to not coming back than after crashing my paraglider. Literally, I have a second chance in life.

The two weeks I lay unconscious in the ICU fighting for my life put my wife, Patricia, through something I would not wish on anyone. Patricia has been by my side supporting me through it all, the first 3 weeks in the hospital, followed by another month in an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility, then starting outpatient physical therapy 3 days a week to rebuild my broken body. Yet, somehow it just wasn''t enough. We were struggling and determined to find focus and direction toward my physical recovery that the medical community seemed unable to give. Then, six months post-injury, we found Project Walk®.

Project Walk® has guided the rebuilding of my strength and mobility. Training at Project Walk® has helped me to grow physically. I feel I will be able to help others again someday.

No matter how determined you are or hard you work, you cannot rush or hurry nerve regeneration. But, you can condition your muscles to fight off atrophy and to stimulate the nerves giving them a path to rebuild. My body seems to continue to regularly regain sensation and function. I need constant fine-tuning adjusting my workout routine to successfully guide the development of my ambulatory muscles and nerve regeneration.

In June of 2009, I was introduced to Ron Merritt of Human Designs. As a result of my injuries, I still have not yet regained feeling or motor control below my knees. Ron fitted me with “Blue Rockers” to help me to be able to walk longer distances with more speed in spite of this challenge. This AFO (ankle foot orthotic) is lighter and more streamlined than the custom AFO’s I had previously worn. The “Blue Rocker” is made out of carbon fiber and can be left in the shoe. It provides lateral support for my ankles, improves my foot placement and standing stability, giving me more confidence in my gait. Ron at Human Designs is a Prosthetic and Orthotic Specialist and is very thorough and personable. Ron custom fit my Blue Rockers to make them even more streamlined and comfortable for me.

There is no greater feeling or reward than to save someone’s life. I strive for the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives again. I''ve never been a person big on crowds or fanfare, but my rock solid desire to help others has always been true. My goal and reward in life is to help and serve others. Thanks to Ron at Human Designs for helping me to move closer to my goals.

With respect,
Tom Hampton

 While training for an Iron Man competition, an accident changed Beth's life forever. About eight years ago during a bike race in San Diego, Beth and other riders came around a bend at high speed when they hit a patch of broken asphalt. Beth was sent careening off her bike, shattering two vertebrae. She was left with a severe concussion and paralysis. Despite severe adverse conditions, Beth managed to get out of her wheelchair after 14 months and in the years since her accident she has regained partial use of her legs and now competes in triathlons that support the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Last October, Beth competed in the CAF Triathlon Challenge where she conquered the 56-mile bike portion of the competition after completing the 1.2-mile swim portion of the competition. Beth raised over $7,000 for CAF last year to help fellow athletes and “pay it forward”, as she received a grant through CAF for her hand-cycle.

When looking for a new practitioner several years ago, Beth came to Human Designs on the recommendation of fellow athletes from the CAF. Beth had been using plastic AFO's previously, and frequently had problems with them breaking. Understanding Beth's demanding athletic lifestyle, Human Designs fit her with custom designed carbon composite AFO's that would be springy and light, but still give her the support she needs. Beth says she loves her carbon-fiber AFO's and appreciates that her practitioner, Ron, “listens carefully and truly understands the angle and degree of a foot.”

This year will be Beth's 6th year competing in the CAF Triathlon, and in April she will be traveling to Boston to represent CAF as she participates in the Boston Marathon with her hand-cycle. Beth was recently featured in Orange Coast Magazine as she trained for the CAF Triathlon, and in describing her, a friend replied, "In shock that such a random accident would happen to a friend in the first place, I was more in shock to see her resilience afterward. I could not be more proud of her incredible strength and determination to overcome and to spread that hope. She has redefined the word indomitable. I have never told her to her face, but she is one of my heroes."

At nineteen years old, Jami was returning from a ski trip with a friend by car when they were trapped in a snowstorm for 11 days. Jami suffered severe frost bite on her toes, ears, fingers and nose, and while the girls were eventually rescued, Jami had to have both legs amputated below the knee. Like many people who lose a limb, Goldman refused to give up on herself. Self-pity is not in her character. She learned to use artificial legs, and while she was adjusting, she earned a BA in child development in 1996 from California State at Long Beach.

Today, twenty-two years later, Jami has competed in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and England and is the world's fastest double amputee, below the knee, among women track runners. She holds the world records in her class of 16.88 seconds for the 100 meters and 38.46 seconds for the 200 meters.

Human Designs fit Jami with her "Cheetah" prosthetic limbs specifically designed for running, with J-design feet to give her a spring. Jami's heels are carbon-fiber so that she has a smooth fluid motion in her gait. She seems to almost glide as she gracefully walks.