November Newsletter Vol. 4 Issue 11  Patients in the News On Monday October 15 at the New York Yacht Club, Rachid Elkadi (BK) along with 3 other officers of the New York City Police Department were presented with the police commissioners Theodore Roosevelt award. The award honors police officers who have returned to active duty on the police force after facing life threatening injury or illness. The award named after President Theodore Roosevelt who also served as president of the Board of Police Commissioners. The full story can be read at the New York Sun at: http://www.nysun.com/article/64649 
Kelly Bruno (BK) who recently completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon with a record time for female amputees was featured on the cover of Endurance Magazine. Seven pages including photos and a complete description of her running prosthesis make up this detailed story about Kelly and her passion for sports and competition. For more on this story click HERE. 
On October 22 The Fairfield County Sports Commission presented its annual Chelsea Cohen Courage Award to Fairfield University student John Tartaglio (Bilateral Hip Disarticulation). The award is named after the late Chelsea Cohen, a former Norwalk High soccer star who passed away in 2006 after a courageous bout with a rare form of cancer of the nervous system. The award recognizes the person in the sports community who has shown inspirational strength in overcoming life-altering obstacles. John is entering his third year of pre-medical studies at Fairfield University. To read the complete, click HERE. 
Amy Palmiero-Winters won the 2007 Runners World Peoples Choice Heroes of Running award. This award is given out annually in recognition of runners who are chosen by the public as a hero of running. Since 2004, Runners World, the leading magazine for the running community annually presents awards in a variety of categories including Mentor, Motivator, Ambassador, Forerunner and Humanitarian and Peoples Choice. The Runners World Heroes of Running awards dinner will take place on Saturday November 3 in New York City. Amy was very excited to hear that she will be included with so many respected runners and heroes at this annual event, “There are so many heroes in the sports world. To be included with all of these great athletes is quite an honor". Click HERE to read the artice on the Runners World web site. 
Sarah Reinertsen and Harry Connick Jr. will appear in the most recent installment of the Ford motor companies Lincoln ‘Dreams’ advertising campaign. The two new spots, titled “Hometown” featuring Connick and the Lincoln MKX, and “Runner,” featuring Reinersten and the Lincoln MKZ, were designed to showcase individuals that share Lincoln brand values including optimism, drive and the American spirit. Congratulations to Sarah on this exciting media opportunity with Ford. Click HERE for more information about this Ford advertising campaign and a link to the video of the commercial that features Sarah.
From the Billing Department Yes, it is that time of year again, summer ends and fall begins. It is also insurance options time for many people. It is time to check your insurance coverage to make sure that you are optimizing your prosthetic coverage. So check your options and your insurance coverage. If you have any questions about your current insurance coverage or any changes in coverage call the billing department or email us at janet@astepaheadonline.com
Staying Active with Winter Sports Skiing, snow boarding and ice skating are fun winter sports. At A Step Ahead we can custom align your prosthesis so you can enjoy these activities safely. In addition to alignment, we custom fabricate knee orthoses and stump helmets to protect your residual limb, Knee braces are essential for below the knee amputees who ski. While skiing, your knee will be subjected to side to side forces that will place excessive strain on your knee joint. A custom brace can be fabricated to attach to your prosthesis and will provide improved side to side stability reducing the risk of injury to your knee. If you are an above the knee amputee, skiing without your prosthesis is common. A Stump helmet is a device that will encompass and protect your residual limb if you fall. They are designed to reduce the risk of bruising and possible fractures of the bone in your residual limb. If you are gearing up for any winter sport and need modifications to your prosthesis or are interested in a custom prosthesis for any sport call our office to speak to one of our prosthetists.
Amputee Support Groups The next ASPIRE support group meeting will be held the annual Holiday party on Wednesday December 12 at 6:15 pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. Charlie needs an RSVP for the party in order to "order" food. For more information about the party contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.
The Long Island amputee support group that 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.
Virtual Consultations A Step Ahead now offers the ability to do live video consultations with our prosthetists and perspective patients around the world. Through the use of this technology we can demonstrate prosthetic design and components using photographs and direct visualization. Using any computer with high speed internet access will allow you the ability to take advantage of this very convenient, cost effective technology. In addition, this allows us to more accurately assess a new patient before they travel to our facility in New York. For more information and details about how to set up a virtual consultation, contact our office or go to the following page at the A Step Ahead web site: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/video_consult.html
 Team A Step Ahead On Saturday October 13, Kelly Bruno of Durham, North Carolina, completed her 2nd Ironman competition this year at the Ford Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and set a record for female amputees at Kona. On a hot and windy day when a number of top pro triathletes abandoned the race Kelly preserved through the tough conditions of the famed Kona Ironman course finishing in a time of 14 hours, 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Her time is the fastest for an amputee female at the Ironman World Championships.
"The energy was contagious on race morning. I knew it was going to be a good day," Kelly told friends and family after the race. She juggled 2 jobs and Ironman training to get there and is extremely proud of her accomplishment. To read more about Kelly’s Ironman experience and to see more photos go to: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/news_press_bruno_ironman07.html  Despite the oppressive heat that forced the organizers of the Chicago Marathon to shut down the race after 3 ½ hours Amy Palmiero-Winters finished one of her toughest races of the year in a time of 3 hours and 23 minutes. Amy fought the heat, humidity and pain to complete a race that for the first time in her running career she felt like she should have dropped out. The casualties from the weather included over 10,000 runners that did not finish, 11 elite runners dropped out, over 300 runners that were hospitalized and one runner died. For more on this story click HERE.
World Congress & Expo on Disabilities Phil Kreuter, P.T. along with Shlomo Nimrodi, Michael Laforgia and Amy Palmiero-Winters will be presenting a lecture at the World Congress & Expo on Disabilities entitled, “Maximizing Function in the Lower Extremity Amputee” The presentation will be on Friday November 16 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. The theme of the presentation is the cooperative effort of the prosthetist, physical therapist and coach in assisting the lower extremity amputee to live life without limitations. For more information on the World Congress & Expo on disabilities go to their website http://www.wcdexpo.com/
A Step Ahead is a Provider of Prosthetic Care for Federal Employees A Step Ahead has been asked to become a provider in a federal program that will give employees in over 40 federal agencies the opportunity to receive the complete services of our facility. Based on A Step Ahead’s many years of experience in providing prostethic care to disabled veterans, we will now be a provider for prosthetic & orthotic services in the New York metropolitan region. Incorporating a 100 mile radius from our facility, employees of agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Coast Guard, the Army, Navy & Air Force Department of Transportation, the FBI, the Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, Health & Human Services, Department of Transportation, will now be able to benefit from all of the expertise and experience of A Step Ahead.
 Mobility Clinic Join Dave Balsley, P.T. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. for their monthly mobility clinic on Sunday November 25 at 10 am at the Jericho High School track on Long Island. They will provide instruction in gait training and running techniques as well as advanced mobility skills. Dave and Phil have extensive experience working with amputees of all ages and activity levels. Come work out with world class athletes and learn from experienced coaches and physical therapists. The setting is relaxed and enjoyable. There is no pressure, come and learn and see what you can do to improve yourself or just watch. For more information and directions to the mobility clinic, please call the office at 516-681-3484.
ACA Expands Advocacy Department The Amputee Coalition of America has experienced a great deal of success in advancing prosthetic parity at the state level. In order to take this fight to Congress, they recently hired a new staff person to help coordinate the outreach and organizing efforts it will take to launch a federal initiative. The ACA is proud to announce the hire of Sheila Van Pay in the position of Federal Campaign Field Organizer.
Sheila comes to the ACA with a background in campaign management, community development and public policy. She was previously employed for a Member of the Scottish Parliament where she helped elect 17 Parliamentary and Council candidates in the Gordon constituency during the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary Elections.
As the ACA's federal field organizer, Van Pay will support all aspects of the federal campaign including designing and implementing outreach strategies, distributing federal alerts to educate members and organizing events to generate media attention and mobilize activists. This will include a National Day of Action in the spring where activists from all over the country will all put on an event to help push the federal campaign on the same day. This big, nationwide day of activism will help to demonstrate the strong base of support for prosthetic parity at the federal level. Sheila will also help to build the federal campaign through strategic initiatives including letter to the editor campaigns, petition drives, in-district meetings and lobby days, as well as utilizing the local volunteers to meet the needs of the federal program. "The ACA has grown substantially in the past few years, and the launch of our federal campaign is proof that the efforts of our staff, sponsors and volunteers have been both beneficial and successful," said the ACA's new field organizer. "Public health research and awareness has always been my passion. I am very excited to be part in this important campaign." To find out more about the ACA's Congressional initiative to expand access to prosthetic care, contact us at federal@amputee-coalition.org. To get involved in your state efforts, contact the ACA at state@amputee-coalition.org.
Seasonal Changes Affect Prosthetic Fit The winter and holiday season may affect changes in your body weight. When your body weight changes or fluctuates, you will notice that your prosthetic socket may not feel right or fit correctly. You may notice pressure areas and discomfort in specific locations on your residual limb. With minor and gradual changes in weight (maximum 3-5 lbs) your prosthetist can make changes to the prosthetic socket to accommodate for these changes. If your body weight changes drastically or quickly either up or down your prosthetist may need to completely fabricate an entire new prosthetic socket.
If you notice that you are not fitting properly in your prosthesis or there is discomfort or areas of pressure that feel uncomfortable you should not hesitate to contact your prosthetist. If you wait too long to address the issue of weight changes with a prosthetic socket that is not fitting well, you will potentially have major changes in your prosthetic socket which could be time consuming and potentially costly. The keys to maintaining body weight are a well balanced diet and an active lifestyle that incorporates cardiovascular and strengthening exercises. For each person the level of exercise and activity will vary greatly. What ever level of activity that you choose, be it training for a marathon or being able to walk to the store without fatigue it is essential that you remain active and closely monitor any body weight changes and report them to your prosthetist. If you are experiencing changes in body weight and notice that your prosthetic socket is not fitting properly contact your prosthetist for a follow-up appointment.
 Tips for the Winter Months To get a better grip on the ice and snow, we recommend ice traction slip-ons, which attach to the bottom of your shoe or boot to improve traction in winter conditions. For more information on this and similar safety products for the winter go to:
http://cozywinters.com/ice-cleats/ice-cleats.html?source=go&gclid=CIn72LPWwYkCFSmBFQoddD8r2A
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