equal need for exercise. Without exercise, an inactive patient tends to gain weight and lose conditioning to the point where even walking can become a challenge. If a specialized device, such as a running foot or a bicycle-riding prosthesis, is necessary to help you maintain a desirable level of fitness, this need should be presented to your insurance company in the form of substantiating letters of recommendation from your physician, which cite your medical necessity for such a device. If the insurance company denies the request and any appeals, organizations like the Challenged Athletes Foundation can often help with funding (see Funding Resources for Prosthetic Devices). You may even be able to get a specialized prosthesis even if you already have a prosthesis that you use for your daily activities.
These and other options may be available, ready to be revealed by just a little digging. Also, don’t overlook funding assistance through religious institutions, your community, or your family and friends. Sometimes creative initiative pays off as well. A small child fascinated by karate was determined to raise his own funding for a prosthesis suitable for the sport. He organized his own kick-a-thon, locating people to sponsor each of the 1,000 karate kicks he performed publicly without stopping! At $1 per kick, his effort was well worth it! Although funding is a difficult challenge, if you continue pursuing ways to achieve your goals and aspirations, you will eventually succeed. So keep your expectations, your spirits, and your energy level high, and don’t let anyone dissuade
you from setting the loftiest goals you can imagine. If you can dream it, you can do it! Determination and creativity pay off. I’ve seen it happen many times. Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP, is an accomplished healthcare professional with over 30 years as a practicing prosthetist, visionary researcher, and skilled educator. As vice president of prosthetics for Hanger Clinic, Carroll travels nationally and internationally presenting scientific symposiums and managing clinics for difficult prosthetic cases. He has appeared internationally on news broadcasts such as Dateline, 20/20, CBS’s The Early Show, NBC’s Nightly News, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Discovery Channel.
Funding Resources for Prosthetic Devices Barr Foundation www.oandp.com/resources/organizations/barr Bowman Limb Bank Foundation www.danabowman.com/bank_foundation.php Challenged Athletes Foundation www.challengedathletes.org The Inner Wheel U.S.A. Foundation, Inc. www.innerwheelusa.com/foundation.htm Jordan Thomas Foundation www.jordanthomasfoundation.org Limbs for Life Foundation www.limbsforlife.org Limbs For U limbsforu.org
Limbs of Love www.limbsoflove.com Lions Clubs International www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php Mending Limbs Organization www.mendinglimbs.org Michigan Society To Advance Rehabilitation (M-STAR) www.m-star.org Physicians for Peace Walking Free Program www.physiciansforpeace.org/walking-free.html P.L.A.Y. Foundation www.playfoundation.net Prosthetics Outreach Foundation www.pofsea.org
Rotary International www.rotary.org/en/Pages/ridefault.aspx Shriners Hospitals for Children www.shrinershq.org Vocational Rehabilitation www.workworld.org/wwwebhelp/state_ vocational_rehabilitation_vr_agencies.htm War Amps (Canada) www.waramps.ca/home.html Workers Comp For more information and additional resources for amputees, visit AmputeeNews.com.
March/April 2012 Amp it up! magazine
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