March Newsletter - Vol. 8 Issue 3
A Step Ahead Donates Sports Prosthetics to New Challenged Athletes Center On February 8, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) opened the brand new Deni & Jeff Jacobs Challenged Athletes Center, in San Diego, California with a building dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. The new building includes an educational center, multi-purpose gymnasium, training facility and state-of-the-art audio-visual system. The lobby display features custom sports prosthetics that were designed and donated by A Step Ahead specifically for CAF.
Prosthetic Art of the Month
Edwin McDowell (Above Knee) recently received this custom designed above-knee silicone skin cover for his prosthesis. The tattoo was designed jointly by Edwin and the A Step Ahead Skin Tones staff and is based on the astrological sign Leo, which represents the birthdates of his children.
A Step Ahead’s Youngest Patient
A Step Ahead’s youngest patient testing his first below elbow prosthesis. This six-month-old boy was extremely excited to start living his life without limitations with his first customized prosthesis.
Long Island Children’s Museum Prosthetic Display
A Step Ahead has begun working with the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City, NY to create a new and exciting interactive display on prosthetics. This new gallery will allow children and parents to learn more about the world of prosthetics and how individuals with limb loss to live their life without limitations. More about this exciting project with the Long Island Children’s Museum will be in future newsletters. To read more about the Long Island Children’s Museum go to:
Sarah Reinertsen in Nike Commercial
Sarah Reinertsen (Above Knee) was featured in a new Nike Commercial. The advertisement features female athletes taking it to the next level. You can view the commercial at the following Youtube page:
From the Prosthetist: Prosthetic Care & Maintenance
This season has been a winter to remember, with nearly all parts of the country experiencing some form of extreme weather. Even A Step Ahead’s international clients have dealt with their share of seasonal hardships. The weather made it difficult for some to come to the office for regular follow-up appointments. In case you are forced to postpone a visit, proper maintenance can prevent many potentially unfortunate situations, including untimely emergencies when your prosthesis may be temporarily unusable until it is fixed by your prosthetist.
One of the most important things you can do to properly maintain your prosthesis is to keep it clean. For those of you who spend time in the snow, whether it be on the slopes or just shoveling the walk, be sure to rinse off your metal components afterwards with fresh water and rub them dry. If you have a microprocessor knee, DO NOT clean it with water! Although melting salts do wonders for driveways and sidewalks, they can wreak havoc on your prosthesis. Melting salts promote corrosion, which can fatigue parts of your prosthesis. Cleaning your prosthesis after exposure to such elements will prolong its life span and prevent bigger problems down the road.
While it is important for you to maintain your prosthesis on your own, there are certain elements of maintenance that must be handled by your prosthetist. Be sure to come in for regular prosthetic ‘check-ups’ so we can inspect your prosthesis and keep it in optimal working condition. If you have any questions at all regarding the maintenance, care, and cleaning of your prosthesis, call our office at 516-681-3484 to speak to one of our prosthetists.
Amputee Coalition of America Peer Support Training Class
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 have been at least 2 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
Annual ASPIRE 10K & 5K RACE & Kids 1/2 Mile Fun Run
The 34th annual ASPIRE ten kilometer race will be held on Saturday, April 3 at 9:00 am in Plainview, Long Island. Team A Step Ahead is looking forward to the largest turnout yet.
A Step Ahead's facility and staff are available to assist you in your training for this race, so please let us know if you will be there as an active participant. If you are unable to participate in the race, the athletes could still use your support if you are able to show up.
The ASPIRE race includes a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) event; amputees will also have the option of a 5K (3.1 mile) race, and children under 12 can participate in a 1/2 mile "fun run." For more information on how to enter the race or to just be part of the event, please contact our office at 516-681-3484.
Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) was featured in a story by US Paralympics on their website entitled “The Ironman.” The story focuses on Jeff’s many athletic accomplishments, highlighting his recent completion of eight Ironman triathlons in eight months in 2010. You can read the entire story at: http://usparalympics.org/news/2011/02/02/the-ironman/40805?ngb_id=3  | Jeff Glasbrenner
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Ben Simmons (Above Knee) will be running his fifth marathon at the 2011 London Marathon on April 17. Ben will be running to raise money for Children with Leukemia. To read about Ben’s fundraising efforts and to donate to Children with Leukemia go to: http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/BenSimmons 
| Ben Simmons
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Upcoming Junior Team A Step Ahead Events:
Annual Ski Trip
From March 10-13, Junior Team A Step Ahead will hold its annual ski trip This year we will be going to Bromley, Vermont. 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 10 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 7, 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
* ASPIRE 10K & 5K – April 3
* Gran Fondo 107-mile bike race - May 8
* Hope & Possibility 5 mile race Central Park - June 26
* NYC Triathlon - August 7
* Westchester Triathlon - September 24-25
* NYC Marathon - November 6
* Silverman triathlon - Nevada November 5-6
Juniors:
* Ski trip Vermont – March 10-13
* ASPIRE 5K – April 3
* Hershey Park weekend
* Hope & Possibility 5 mile race Central Park - 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
Junior Team A Step Ahead Athletes Keeping Busy
11-year-old Haley Tyrrell (Hip Disarticulation) was chosen to go on a one-week ski and winter activity program in Steamboat Springs, Colorado from February 28- march 6, by the Sunshine Kids, a non-profit organization that provides programs for children with cancer. Haley is one of twenty-four children between the ages of eleven and seventeen from across the country that were chosen for this program. To read more about Sunshine Kids and the winter program go to:
http://www.sunshinekids.org/kidsact/national/2010/2010-Winter_Games/2010-Winter_Games_details.html
Through a program of the Gerald R. Claps Career and Technical Center, 17-year-old Victoria Cutrone-Foley (Above Knee) is interning for four months at Nassau University Medical Center, assisting on the Breast Imaging Floor with mammography, sonograms, and biopsies.  | Victoria Cutrone-Foley
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Latest News in Prosthetic Technology
The most advanced prosthetic technology for arm amputees is now on a fast track for FDA approval. The arm, which was developed at a cost of over $100 million by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and John Hopkins University over the past five years, is controlled by a microchip in the brain. The microchip records neural activity and decodes the signals to activate motor neurons that control the prosthetic. DARPA's prosthetic arm works much like a regular arm and has the ability to bend, rotate, and twist in twenty-seven different ways. It is designed to restore almost complete hand and finger function to patients dealing with spinal cord injury, stroke, or amputation.
The ASPIRE Support Group meetings are on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm 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 from 10:00 AM to 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. |
