Newsletters

Twenty-seven-year-old Army Corporal Christopher Levi (Bilateral Above Knee) of Holbrook, N.Y. was severely injured while on duty in Iraq in March 2008. His unit, a U.S. Army intelligence group, was bringing an Iraqi suspect they had picked up for questioning several days earlier back to his home. Chris’ Humvee was in the middle of a five-vehicle convoy and was hit by an exploding improvised device. He suffered critical injuries, including the loss of both of his legs above the knee as well as severe damage to his right arm. Chris spent the next two years in and out of the hospital undergoing multiple surgeries and rehabilitation to treat his complex injuries.

Chris Levi

In early January, Chris received bilateral above-knee prostheses from A Step Ahead. After two days of using his new prostheses, he expressed his feelings about being able to walk easily again: “You can’t start the thousand mile journey without taking that first step… and A Step Ahead Prosthetics created the legs for me to take that first step with comfort.”

On December 26, 2010, ten-year-old Daneroy Lawrence (Bilateral Above Knee) from Brooklyn, New York experienced one of the biggest thrills of his life as a special guest of Madison Square Garden and World Wrestling Entertainment. In a trip arranged by A Step Ahead, not only did Daneroy get to see many of his favorite wrestling stars battle at the famous arena in New York; he was also given the opportunity to go backstage to meet face-to-face with some of the biggest stars of WWE. When he traveled home from the event through one of the biggest snowstorms in New York history, his only words were “it was awesome, just awesome.”

Daneroy Lawrence	Daneroy with WWE Stars Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov

Michael LaForgia (Below Knee/Trans-metatarsal) was featured in a story on WCBS TV news regarding a recent increase in cases of meningococcal meningitis in New York City. Michael contracted meningitis in 2005, and he now volunteers his time with the National Meningitis Association to help educate the public about meningitis and provide support to individuals and their families who have been affected by this disease. To view the story, go to: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/01/20/health-officials-warn-about-meningitis-in-nyc/

Six-year-old Tara Dunfee shows off the prosthetic artwork on her new custom-designed below-knee prosthesis. Tara is a proud member of Junior Team A Step Ahead and enthusiastically participates in many of the junior team events.

The world of health insurance coverage is constantly changing. We hear about health care issues, the rising cost of premiums, and loss of health coverage regularly in the local and national news. As an individual with limb loss, the last thing that you want to deal with is how to pay for a prosthesis or whether or not your health insurance coverage will provide all that you need so that you can have the best possible prosthesis. Health coverage for prosthetics can vary extensively and can change often with little notice. If you have any concerns or questions regarding your health insurance coverage for prosthetics, contact our office at 516-681-3484. Our staff of insurance experts will assist you with all of your insurance needs.

Would you like to offer guidance and support to a new amputee? Consider signing up for an Amputee Coalition of America peer support training class. A Step Ahead Prosthetics will be sponsoring this one-day class in the spring (date and exact location to be announced), which will be taught by an ACA-certified peer support trainer.

To become an ACA-certified peer visitor, a person with limb loss or difference or one of their family members must pass a Peer Visitor Training Seminar. It must be have been at least two years since their amputation, and they must have adjusted well to their loss and be celebrating a full life in the way they choose to live it.

No one is in a better position to understand about living life with an amputation or supporting a person with limb loss/difference than someone who has been there. The ACA’s Peer Visitor program was established on this important premise. An experienced, well-trained peer can offer encouragement and information from a place, and at a pace, that an overwhelmed individual can better absorb. Based on principles of adult learning, the full-day course incorporates a variety of highly interactive elements, including role-play, games, brainstorming and case studies. The course focuses on rehearsing peer visitation skills in a number of situations and giving and receiving feedback. If you are interested in being considered for this peer support training class, contact us at info@astepaheadonline.com .

Dr. Jack Ahrens (Below Knee) continues to challenge himself with new athletic endeavors. On January 23, Jack competed in the Gunstock Winter triathlon at Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, New Hampshire. In almost three feet of snow, Jack completed the championship course consisting of a four-kilometer trail run, seven-kilometer mountain bike, and six-kilometer cross country ski in 2:22:32. Jack said it was one of the hardest events he has ever competed in.

Dr. Jack Ahrens

Upcoming Junior Team A Step Ahead Events:

Annual Ski Trip

From March 10-13, Junior Team A Step Ahead will hold its annual Lake Placid, N.Y. ski trip in the Adirondacks. Please contact Amy at amy@astepaheadonline.com or at the office at 516-681-3484 as soon as possible to sign up for the trip. The van will leave from the A Step Ahead office in Hicksville at 3 PM on Thursday, March 13 and make designated pick-up stops along the way for team members who live further away from A Step Ahead.

Save The Date – New York City Triathlon - August 2, 2011

In 2011, Junior Team A Step Ahead is teaming up with Puma and the Nautica New York City Triathlon to create an event within the NYC Triathlon for Junior Team A Step Ahead. Junior team athletes will have the opportunity to participate in one of the world’s largest and most famous triathlons, where they will run the last mile to the finish line in style! All participating junior team athletes will receive Puma running gear.

Team A Step Ahead 2011 Schedule:

Adults:
* Hershey Park weekend   
* Hope & Possibility five mile race - June 26
* NYC Triathlon - August 7
* Westchester Triathlon - September 24-25
* NYC Marathon - November 6
* Silverman Triathlon - November 5-6

Juniors:
* Ski trip – Adirondacks – March 10-13   
* Hershey Park weekend  
* Hope & Possibility five mile race - June 26
* NYC Triathlon - August 7
* Camping in the Shawangunk Mountains - April
* Westchester Triathlon - September 24-25
* NYC Marathon - November 6
* Silverman Triathlon - November 5-6

Amputee Support Groups

The ASPIRE Support Group meetings are on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information about the ASPIRE support group meetings, contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.

New York-Presbyterian Hospital Amputee Education and Support Group meets every first Friday of the month 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Milstein Hospital 8 Garden North Dayroom (8th floor rehab unit) Milstein Hospital Building 177 Fort Washington Ave. For more information, contact Jackee Callender at 212-305-8483.

Rusk Rehab Amputee Support Group (34th Street/1st avenue) meets the last Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM. For more information about the Rusk Rehab Support Group, contact Dr. Jeff Heckman at 631-873-6223 or by email at: jtheckman@yahoo.com

The Long Island Amputee Support Group meets the first Saturday of each month at South Side Hospital, 301 East Main Street in Bayshore. Contact Jodi Adler at 631-968-3330.