OCTOBER / NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER 1. ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER
2. THE MARATHON MAN
3. THE TRIATHLON MAN
4. EQUUS
5. ON THE BEACH
6. BE A GIVER
7. SHE WRITES THE SONGS . . .
8. TALKING ‘BOUT MY GENERATION
9. HOLIDAY. CELEBRATE.
10. INFORMATION
11. FIVE YEARS 1. ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER The clamor for a new A Step Ahead Newsletter has reached an almost deafening pitch. We apologize for the delay, but have been in the process of updating our website to permit us to control content in a more efficient and effective manner. We are happy to report that this work is now complete, and as a result, you are getting a special bonus newsletter, one that covers two months instead of one! (Please, control your excitement.) With the completion of the new Content Management System, A Step Ahead will be able to more easily keep you apprised of future support group meetings and running clinics (in our “Upcoming Events” section), as well as post these Newsletters to the web site before the third week of the applicable month. We believe that these changes will make the A Step Ahead site a more vital, useful tool for our clients. So make sure to bookmark the site, and check it a few times a month to make sure that you’re not missing anything! 2. THE MARATHON MAN One of our newer clients, Boubacar Sidiki (HD), acquitted himself well earlier this month, completing the New York City Marathon less than a month after receiving his first prosthesis. Boubacar finished the course in 7:30:41, a remarkable accomplishment. He also enjoyed significant press coverage as a result of his efforts, appearing in the New York Daily News and White Plains Times. Congratulations to Boubacar! 3. THE TRIATHLON MAN Not to be outdone, Tommy Koehler (BK) traveled to San Diego for The Loma Linda Rehabilitation Institute 10th Annual San Diego Triathlon Challenge on November 2. Competing in his first major triathlon, Koehler completed the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike leg, and half marathon in less than 9 hours. Koehler particularly enjoyed a grueling, 20-minute bike climb, but noted that a 20-minute downhill stretch would have been preferable. Great job, Tommy! 4. EQUUS Like Richard Burton, the star of the movie referenced in this headline, Paddy Rossbach (BK) is British. Unlike him, she never married Elizabeth Taylor (several times), and she successfully competed on her equus (that’s “horse”, for those of you not speaking Latin) at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals this past October. For the second year in a row, Paddy took a Top Ten Award in Dressage while competing against able-bodied competition. Paddy’s mind remains as sharp as her skills in the saddle – she discovered a computational error by the judges that, when corrected, vaulted her into the top ten finishers. This proves our long-held hypothesis that A Step Ahead clients are not only the most functional, athletic, best-looking amputees, but the smartest as well. We expect further confirmation of this hypothesis upon receiving the results of the IQ tests that we will be administering to all clients at their next visit. But we digress – kudos to Paddy on her riding and math skills! 5. ON THE BEACH No, we’re not referencing the post-nuclear world envisioned by Nevil Shute in his tale of cold-war apocalypse. Rather, we’re highlighting Sarah Reinertsen’s location in the Xterra Wetsuits ad that appears in the December edition of Triathlete magazine. For those of you who don’t subscribe to this fine publication, here’s what you’re missing: The surf rolls in towards the beach. A lone figure faces the incoming waves, resolute in her commitment to conquer what looms before her. A sharp outcropping of rocks is visible in the middle of the frame, right side, hinting at the dangers that await our noble heroine. There she stands, sans prosthesis, proudly wearing her Xterra Wetsuit. Nothing can stop her. Nothing will stop her. She’s Sarah Reinertsen. Triathlete. Woman. Xterra Wetsuit wearer. Or you could just buy the December edition of Triathlete and check it out for yourself. 6. BE A GIVER It’s the giving time of year. It’s the time of year you should ask, “What’s the greatest gift I can give myself?” The Ipod is pretty cool. So are Yankees season tickets, sapphire and diamond bracelets, and a trip to Hawaii. However, the greatest gift you can give yourself is the gift of good health. (At least for the purpose of these paragraphs.) How do you get it? By having David Balsley forcefully ram it down your throat, which he does on a monthly basis at the ASPIRE Running Clinic. Don’t let the name fool you – you needn’t run to attend. Dave is one of the premiere trainers of both amputee athletes and amputees who simply want to walk more efficiently and anatomically. Take the time to come to this month’s clinic at Jericho High School on Long Island and learn techniques and exercises that will make you stronger, more flexible, and more functional. There’s no charge, and attendance is not limited to A Step Ahead clients. Visit the “Upcoming Events” portion of our site for complete information. For those of you in Manhattan, or who enjoy Manhattan, you can also enjoy Dave’s company during the week. He works with amputees – again, free of charge – on Wednesday nights. Dave’s next training session in Manhattan takes place on November 19 at 9:15 p.m. (that’s right, p.m.) at Engineer’s Gate in Central Park (90th and 5th). You can also check the “Upcoming Events” portion of our site in the future if you’d like to join Dave for nighttime jaunts in the park. 7. SHE WRITES THE SONGS . . . Theresa Sareo (HD) is keeping busy on the stage these days, performing regularly and, according to cdbaby.com – we do our homework here – preparing for the recording of her new CD, aptly titled “Alive Again”. While you will not be able to enjoy a pyrotechnic extravaganza or mosh pit when seeing Theresa, you will enjoy an experience that ranges “from tender to powerful, sensual to gutsy.” (Again, courtesy of cdbaby.com.) This isn’t to say that a pyrotechnic extravaganza or mosh pit couldn’t elicit some of these same feelings – just that you could enjoy them without the threat of your hair catching on fire or visiting the hospital with a ruptured spleen. For information on Theresa’s upcoming gigs, check out www.cdbaby.com/cd/sareo. 8. TALKING ‘BOUT MY GENERATION While some of our clients seek to bridge geographic gaps by swimming, cycling, and running, others try to bridge generational gaps by introducing Avril Lavigne to the 50 and older set. What are we talking about? www.grandparents.com, a project started up by A Step Ahead client Tami Luchow-Sachs (BK). The site is packed with information and photos – in short, it’s a great resource for grandparents! So check out the site! 9. HOLIDAY. CELEBRATE. It is with great reluctance and embarrassment that I use a Madonna song as a headline, but it’s the only one I can thing of that segues into a discussion of A Step Ahead’s upcoming holiday schedule. A Step Ahead will be open for half the day on Wednesday, November 26th, and closed for Thanksgiving on the 27th and on Friday the 28th. Please note that our emergency hotline will automatically reject calls from people having socket problems caused by eating too much turkey. (In all seriousness, the emergency hotline is for any prosthetic emergency, turkey-related or not.) 10. INFORMATION Now we move from headlines that utilize famous artists’ song titles to the truly obscure. Your hint: the artist who wrote Information had another single – “Slipping Away” – on the same album that enjoyed a fair amount of airplay on early 80’s MTV. That being said, information is what we instruct our Assistants, Sue Corbe and Amanda Fischetti – to obtain from you when you call in to our office. We understand that clients are most comfortable talking to the individual that treats them – Erik – when they call here. However, in order for Erik to effectively triage his responsibilities on the fly, he needs as much information as possible before he picks up the phone. So please don’t hesitate to explain to Sue and Amanda what’s going on when you call. We have asked them to probe in order to ensure that Erik can provide an appropriate response in a time-sensitive manner. File this under the “help us help you” category. (No Cuba Gooding-esque hysterical laughter please.) If you absolutely do not want to speak to anyone other than Erik about your prosthetic issues, then an alternative and more private way to convey that information is via e-mail. Erik checks it regularly throughout the day, so don’t hesitate to utilize it: astep.ahead@verizon.net. 11. FIVE YEARS Another music reference headline. (The first track of which famous 70’s album?) Actually, it’s two years – two full years of A Step Ahead. As we embark on year three, we continue to ask for your feedback. Our goal is to provide clients both the best services, and the services that they need the most. Stated another way, we view A Step Ahead not as a static entity, but as a constantly-evolving organization shaped by our clients’ needs and goals. Do you have a question about prosthetics billing? Call us and ask for Janet or David. Do you have a question about your prosthesis? Call us and ask for Erik. Do you have a suggestion for a service that we do not provide but should? Call us. Do you have a suggestion for a service that we do provide but could provide better? Call us. Complaints? Call us. Compliments? Call us. Are we being clear? We want and need your feedback. For those of you who have been with us since the doors opened on November 5, 2001, you have seen numerous changes in our facility, both physically, and philosophically. Please help us continue to make A Step Ahead a vital, responsive entity. We thank all of you for your past support, and look forward to working with you as we move into year three and beyond!
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