June Newsletter Vol. 6 Issue 6
Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged Junior Team A Step Ahead competed at the 25th annual Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged. The team of eleven athletes ranging in age from five to fifteen competed in track and field, swimming, and archery at the Mitchell Athletic Complex and Nassau Community College. Anthony Desano (Above Knee), Robert Berger (Below Knee), Cate Hughes (Below Knee), Will Kehler (Van Ness), Victoria Cutrone-Foley (Above Knee), Tara Dunfee (Below Knee), Julia Breitenbach (Above Knee), Alexandra Capelleni (Above Knee) , Jake Lillis (Bilateral Above Knee), James Lozano (Bilateral Below Knee), and Davonni Baboolal (Below Knee) excelled in all their events. The entire junior team demonstrated incredible support and camaraderie for each other throughout the two days of the games. It was a great time for the team to renew friendships and start new ones.
A Step Ahead & Achilles Track Club Hosting Running/Walking Clinic
The Achilles Track Club and A Step Ahead are collaborating to host an amputee walking and running clinic. The clinic will take place in Central Park, New York on Sunday, June 28th after the Hope & Possibility race. The clinic is part of the disability awareness activities of the annual 5 mile Hope & Possibility race put on by the Achilles Track Club and the New York Road Runners Club. Hosted by PowerBar, the walking and running clinic will have coaches, physical therapists, prosthetists and world class amputee runners available to evaluate running and walking gait and provide input on how to improve your walking and running. Amputees of all ability levels are invited to the clinic. For more information about the walking and running clinic, contact our office or the Achilles Track Club.
Connect with A Step Ahead On Facebook and Our Blog
A Step Ahead's Facebook page is now up to 75 members. We encourage you to visit our Facebook page and blog to participate in discussions and postings. We have launched both of these web pages to provide an opportunity for individuals with limb loss, health care professionals, family members, and others to have a forum for communication about news and issues that have an impact on people with limb loss. In addition, the blog and Facebook sites will allow A Step Ahead to increase its reach to the world providing our regular news and updates. To log on to the blog, go to http://astepaheadblog.blogspot.com/ To log on to the Facebook site go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128805480264&ref=nf We welcome your postings and comments at both of these sites, and look forward to seeing you there.
The next ASPIRE amputee support group meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24th at 6:15 pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information, contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.
New York-Presbyterian Hospital Amputee Education and Support Group meets on Friday June 5th from 10am to 12 noon at the Neurological Institute, 8th Floor North Classroom (PT and OT Department) 710 W. 168th Street, contact Sharon Clark at 212-305-3964.
Rusk Rehab Amputee Support Group (34th Street/1st avenue) meets Thursday June 25 - 6:30PM; contact Jeff Heckman at 631-873-6223 for details.
The Long Island Amputee Support Group meets the first Saturday of each month at South Side Hospital, 301 East Main Street in Bayshore. If you are interested in joining this group, contact Jodi Adler at 631-968-3330.
For more information on amputee support groups around the country go to http://www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html
Travels with A Step Ahead Patients
Danny Freund (Above Knee) spent two weeks touring China highlighted by a trip to the Great Wall. The following are some of Danny's impressions of China: "The Chinese people are very hospitable and are impressed if you try to speak a little bit of Chinese. Over a short trip we managed to hike part of the Great Wall in Beijing. I had no idea how steep parts of the great wall were! It is so vast and there are so many tourists, the majority of whom are Chinese. At one point I rolled up my pant leg and people started coming up to me asking to take pictures with me. Along the way, there were a lot of people who gave a thumbs up as they saw me climbing with a prosthetic leg. At one point there were so many people who stood in line to take pictures with me that they wouldn't let us go."
 | Danny Freund (Above Knee) at the
Great Wall of China
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Mobility Clinic
The June Mobility Clinic will be at held at the Hope and Possibility race in Central Park, New York on Sunday, June 28th. The clinic is sponsored by PowerBar and hosted by A Step Ahead and the Achilles Track Club.
Upcoming Events
- Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, San Francisco, CA - 1.5 mile swim starting at Alcatraz Island, 18 mile bike ride and an 8 mile run. June 14th.
- Achilles Track Club Hope & Possibility 5 Mile Race - Adults and Juniors, Central Park, New York June 28th
- New York City Triathlon - Olympic-distance triathlon - Sunday July 26th, 1.5 K Swim, 40k Bike, 10k Run
On May 17th at the Memphis in May, Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) ran a personal best for the Olympic-distance triathlon in a time of 2:25:34. The Olympic-distance triathlon consists of a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bike and 10 kilometer run. Jeff will be joining nine of his Team A Step Ahead teammates in San Francisco on June 14th for the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
Paddy Rossbach (Below Knee) continues to compete and excel in the Dressage event of equestrian. On Saturday May 23rd in Saratoga Springs, New York, Paddy scored her highest point total in dressage of her equestrian career with a 68 percent. Paddy won the High Point ribbon and a $1,500 prize for her grade 4 performance.
Since moving to the U.S. in 1966, Paddy has competed in many sports. Starting with scuba diving in her thirties, running marathons in her forties, and horseback riding beginning in her fifties, Paddy continues to compete regularly in dressage events with CHA Sienna, the 19-year-old Arabian she has raised since she was a foal.
To read the complete story about Paddy and her recent accomplishments in equestrian go to: http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/05/25/news/doc4a1a40bc625fe041453375.txt
Amy Palmeiro-Winters (Below Knee) completed her first 50 mile race at the North Face Challenge. On May 9th on the steep trails of Bear Mountain, New York and starting at 5am in a pouring rain, Amy finished the race in 12 hours and 59 minutes. Of 131 starters and 72 finishers, Amy finished 9th female. Assisting during the entire race at water and aid stations were members of Junior Team A Step Ahead James Lozano (Bilateral Below Knee), Victoria Cutrone-Foley (Above Knee), and Sofia Castillo (Above Knee).
Amy's reflection on her first 50 mile race and the support that she received from members of the Junior Team: "Saturday was probably by far the hardest thing I have ever done and all I kept thinking was I had three teammates and their parents who gave up a weekend to stand out in the mud and rain to volunteer at a crazy thirteen-hour race and who were also going to be waiting for me at the finish line."
| Amy Palmeiro-Winters (Below Knee)
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"When I fell during the race and my real ankle/foot was swelling up I thought to myself this is crazy, I can't possibly make it thirty-seven more miles and then I thought of how the junior team was ice climbing and they really thought they couldn't go any further....and despite the tears I made all of them take 5 more steps up the side of the ice. I then said to myself I have 2 choices.... lay down and give up and let it beat me or get up off my butt and push past it.... I wasn't going to give up!"
"Over the next hours and miles of that race the junior team really pulled me through and I just want to thank all of them for being there and for helping me accomplish something I thought might not be obtainable. It was amazing having all of them there at the finish line and it will be a race that will stand out in my memory, I'm sure forever. Thanks guys for helping me suck it up and cross that finish line just in time!"
Mary Cutrone-Foley, parent of one of the junior team members, reflected on their experience as volunteers at the North Face Challenge: "This weekend was a great experience for me and Victoria. It proved that if you commit yourself to doing something, you are already a 'winner.' We commend all the runners for their hard work and dedication, especially with all the rain and mud, and we were truly inspired. It gave us a tremendous amount of pride waiting there at the finish line as each of the athletes came in exhausted. We loved every minute of being able to help by handing out water, medals and removing the timer chips. It was also a wonderful feeling being there together as a group and the best part of all was watching our children's mentor complete 50 miles and cross the finish line. We couldn't have been more proud!"  | James Lozano (Bilateral Below Knee), Sofia Castillo (Above Knee),
and Victoria Cutrone-Foley (Above Knee) at the finish line.
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From the Prosthetist: Spring & Summer
As summer approaches and the temperatures increase, several issues may develop with the fit of your prosthesis. Sweating may be a concern. If you wear a below-knee prosthesis, sweating can contribute to a loose fit with poor suspension. During the course of the day, you may have to take your prosthesis and silicone liner off and dry off both the liner and your skin. If you don't, you will be subjecting your limb to a wet and loose fit that may lead to skin breakdown and bone bruising. If drying off your limb does not help, there are anti-perspirants that can be applied to your limb.
If over-the-counter antiperspirants don't work, you should seek advice from a dermatologist regarding stronger prescription anti-perspirants. If you wear an above-knee prosthesis, we advise the same care if you use a silicone liner with a seal or lanyard. If your prosthesis is suspended by total suction, taking off your prosthesis, drying your limb, and applying a light coating of medicated powder would be a good first option. Another option would be to apply an anti-perspirant.
Another concern in the warm summer weather is volume fluctuation. Your residual limb may increase in size due to the heat. If you wear a below-the-knee prosthesis, this issue can be resolved easily by reducing sock ply. For above-the-knee amputees, an adjustment to your socket may be necessary. The heat may pose difficulty for donning an above knee prosthesis. Staying in a well air conditioned room for about 15- 20 minutes and then donning the prosthesis may make it easier. If you have more questions about how to manage the changes in temperature and how it affects your residual limb, call our office and speak to your prosthetist.
Now is the best time to consider making some changes and/or additions to your prosthesis. If you love the beach, the pool, or water sports, we can fabricate a customized waterproof prosthesis for you. If you have always had the desire to wear shorts and sandals in the summer, we can design and fabricate a custom silicone skin cover for you. Save your old prosthetics components and we can use them to make a waterproof prosthesis for all your warm weather activities. The Skin Tones System can even be designed to be used in the water as a fully waterproof prosthesis that can be submerged for swimming and other water sports. For more information about our Skin Tones System, visit our website and view our photo gallery or call to speak to one of our prosthetists.
|  | Above Knee Swim Prosthesis
with Skin Tones Cover
| Below Knee Prosthesis with Skin Tones
Cover |
 Prosthetic Parity Updates: State by State
The ACA has already had two victories this year. Maryland and Virginia both have parity bills sitting on the governor's desks waiting to be signed.
Bills are still in play in 10 states (CT, IA, ND, TX, MI, MO, AL, TN, IL, AR). One session has already adjourned for the year without passing legislation (UT). Four states are still working to introduce a bill this year (ID, PA, WI, NC).
A few bills appear to be stuck and will not move this year (NE, NY, ME). The ACA will reach out to assess their options and build support for next year. There are a number of states already looking towards 2010 to introduce parity bills (GA, MN, WA, KS).
The ACA is doing everything they can to keep these bills moving. They are looking at holding a series of organizing meetings this summer to ramp up support and mobilize activists for the various state campaigns. To find out the latest about your state's parity efforts, visit the ACA Action Center at: http://www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/your-state.html.
The Amputee Coalition of America provides day to day technical assistance to the individuals and campaign committees working to advance state parity bills. They can be reached at state@amputee-coalition.org or 202/742-1885.
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