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 January Newsletter Vol. 8 Issue 1 2010 was a very busy year for A Step Ahead. We continued to grow and provide the highest-quality prosthetic services to patients with limb loss. A Step Ahead’s patients mirrored this success as they continued to exceed expectations and prove that they can live life without limitations. Below is a list of some of the highlights for A Step Ahead and A Step Ahead patients in 2010:
- In October, six soldiers (three above knee, two below knee, and one above knee/below knee) from Israel were provided with new custom prosthetics.
- Ornichleel Ulyesee (Below Knee) from Port Au Prince, Haiti was provided with her first prosthesis in May after her leg was amputated below the knee due to injuries sustained during the earthquake in Haiti. In November, she returned for a follow-up visit and traveled to Colorado for her first-ever ski trip.
http://wcbstv.com/seenon/ornichleel.ulysse.haiti.2.1704082.html
- Nine-year-old Cate Hughes (Below Knee) won the Huffington Post's Ultimate Game Changer in Sports Award.
- Kelly Bruno (Below Knee) competed on Survivor: Nicaragua.
http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/jimmy-johnson-kelly-bruno-talk-survivor-nicaragua-on-cbs-early-show-video%20
- Touro College’s Doctoral Physical Therapy program attended a lecture on prosthetics at A Step Ahead.
- With Sam Cila (Below Elbow) completing the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October, Team A Step Ahead now has eight Ironman athletes.
- In May in Brive, France, Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) competed in the 8th annual IAU 24-Hour-Run World Championships. Navigating a half-mile course, Amy ran 124 miles in 24 hours to secure 19th place out of a field of eighty female runners. Most significantly, she was the first athlete with limb loss to compete on any world championship team in the history of track and field.
- In August, Jessica Long (Bilateral Below Knee) won seven gold medals and two silver medals, broke a world record in the 200 individual medley, and was on the 4 x 100 freestyle relay team that broke the world record at the International Paralympic Committee world swimming championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
- In June, Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) became the first amputee to complete the famed Western States 100-mile trail run.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/28/2853609/ny-woman-becomes-first-amputee.html
- Paul Martin (Below Knee) completed the fifty-six-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa. http://www.onemansleg.com/2010/06/07/the-comrades-experience/
- Kenny Bontz (Above Knee) became the first amputee golfer to play in a State Amateur Championships. http://www.app.com/article/20100504/SPORTS0338/5040325/1002/SPORTS/Farmingdale-s-Kenny-Bontz-advances-at-Mid-Amateur-Championship
- Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) won the A.A.U. Sullivan Award, the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability, and the Women’s Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/sports/26vecsey.html?ref=sports
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/track/2010-04-25-amputee-runner_N.htm
- Allison Jones (Above Knee) & Ralph Greene (Hip Disarticulation) competed at the Vancouver Winter Paralympics in Alpine Skiing.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/02/19/2010-02-19_a_slope_superstar_worldclass_skier_heads_to_paralympics.html
- In February, Jack Ahrens (Below Knee) became the first amputee to complete the thirty-three-mile American Birkbeiner x-country ski race in northern Wisconsin.
- North Shore/LIJ Physical Medicine Resident Physicians attended a prosthetics lecture at A Step Ahead.
- Allison Jones (Above-Knee) was named the United States Olympic Committee Athlete of the Month in August.
http://usparalympics.org/news/2010/09/08/cyclist-allison-jones-named-usoc-s-august-female-athlete-of-the-month/38438
- Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) completed eight Ironman Triathlons in 8 months. This year Jeff was recognizing the 30th anniversary of losing his leg in a farming accident at the age of 8. Starting on May 1 at Ironman St. George in Utah and finishing the last Ironman in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas on December 15, Jeff completed his goal of eight Ironman finishes in eight months. To read more about Jeff and this amazing accomplishment go to:
http://www.teamglas.org/
http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story/Paralympian-aims-to-finish-8-Ironmans-in-8-months/Z15ALq8yDEKzJfK6SIAvBg.cspx?rss=315
In 2010, A Step Ahead and A Step Ahead patients were featured in the following media outlets:
- The New York Times
- The Daily News
- USA Today
- CNN
- Newsday
- The New York Post
- The Asbury Park Press
- Runners World
- Outside Magazine
- The Long Island Press
- Fox 5 (New York)
- CBS Early Show
- Good Day New York
- Fitness Magazine
- News 12 Long Island
- Competitor Magazine
- Long Island Magazine
- The O and P Edge
- Trail Runner Magazine
- Lava Magazine
- Verizon FIOS 1 News
- Sacramento Bee newspaper
- Long Island Advance
- Popular Hot Rodding
Ten-year-old Jeff Rodriguez (Below Knee) came to the United States from Honduras in June for surgery by Dr. David Feldman at N.Y.U. Medical Center to correct a congenital deformity and then for his first prosthesis. After receiving prosthetic care from A Step Ahead, Jeff returned home to Honduras in December. During his time in the U.S., Jeff and his mother stayed with a family in New Jersey and were supported and sponsored for his medical and prosthetic care by former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Jeff will be returning to A Step Ahead in 2011 for follow-up prosthetic care.
 | Jeff Rodriguez and Governor Howard Dean
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A Step Ahead’s prosthetic staff has designed a custom prosthesis for skiing for injured soldier Karl Dorman (Above Knee). The prosthesis is set up specifically for downhill skiing through the socket design, component selection, and alignment as well as a custom boot insert. If you are interested in having A Step Ahead design a custom skiing prosthesis for you, call our office and ask to speak with one of our prosthetists.
 |  | Custom Above Knee Prosthesis for Skiing
| Custom above knee ski prosthesis being
tested on A Step Ahead’s hydraulic ramp |
Jean Draper (Below Knee) ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 4 hours 18 minutes. It was both her second marathon of the year and second as an amputee.
From December 5-12, Ornichleel Ulyesee (Below Knee) from Haiti had the experience of a lifetime at the Hartford Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, Colorado. Ornichleel, who had never seen snow before, spent the week learning how to ski. Ornichleel’s trip to the United Sates for prosthetic care and the ski trip were jointly funded by A Step Ahead Prosthetics and the Hartford Insurance Company.
Travel and Your Prosthesis
The recent changes in the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) guidelines for airport security have impacted travelers - especially individuals with disabilities. Many travelers have reported very invasive techniques for security screening as well as very inconsistent procedures amongst airport security personal and at different airports.
A recent article in Popular Mechanics entitled “The Problem With Prosthetics and Airport Security” highlights many of the issues with the new security measures for individuals with limb loss:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/the-problem-with-prosthetics-and-airport-security
Putting Your Prosthesis in Checked Luggage at the Airport:
You wouldn’t leave $20,000 in cash in your checked luggage while flying across the country. You shouldn’t leave a $20,000 prosthesis there, either. More often than we like, we hear stories from individuals with limb loss who lose their prostheses while flying. If you are carrying an extra prosthesis with you, or are simply not wearing your primary prosthesis, you must keep it with your carry on items while traveling by air. FAA regulations give you the right to carry all your prosthetic gear with you.
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 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 Sharon Clark at 212-305-3964
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.
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