October Newsletter Vol. 6 Issue 10
Patients in the News and Media
John Tartaglio (bilateral hip disarticulation) was on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 9 to talk about training for his goal of completing the N.Y.C. Marathon, as well as his fundraising efforts for ASPIRE. To view the segment of the Oprah Winfrey Show with John go to: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/johnoprah2009.html  A Step Ahead Prosthetics & Mobility Physical Therapy Launch "Active Amputee Program"
In order to promote a more active lifestyle for all of the patients at A Step Ahead Prosthetics, A Step Ahead and Mobility Physical Therapy are launching the "Active Amputee Program." The goal of this program is to promote physical activity for all patients regardless of age, level of amputation, or medical condition. Research shows that an active physical lifestyle leads to a healthier life. For individuals with limb loss, it is essential to maintain a high level of physical conditioning to achieve and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. A Step Ahead Prosthetics and Mobility Physical Therapy's staff will design an active lifestyle program with customized exercises based on your needs and goals. Anyone who wants to participate in this program will have a detailed evaluation to discuss their individual needs, activity interests, and medical history as well as a physical therapy evaluation that will determine your specific strengths and weaknesses. Patients will be able to use an online reporting system using fax or email to provide a report on their progress, as well as to receive regular feedback.
The physical activity program will emphasize 3 major areas of exercise for amputees to maintain an active lifestyle:
- Cardiovascular exercise (walking, running)
- Strengthening exercise (weight training)
- Flexibility exercise (stretching, yoga)
The individualized program will be designed so patients can exercise in their home or at a gym.
For local patients, a thorough exercise consult will be completed at A Step Ahead to determine goals and develop guidelines for their activity program. Out-of-town patients can participate via phone, email, or video consultation. For more information about the Active Amputee Program call our office at 516-681-3484.
Amputee Support Groups The next ASPIRE amputee support group meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28th at 6:15 pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information about the ASPIRE support group meeting contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.
New York-Presbyterian Hospital Amputee Education and Support Group meets on the first Friday of every month 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, September 17th at
6:00PM. For more information about the Rusk Rehab Support Group, contact Dr. Jeff Heckman at 631-873-6223 or 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.
For more information on amputee support groups around the country, go to http://www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html
Improve Running & Walking at Mobility Clinic
Join Dave Balsley, P.T. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. at the Jericho High School track on Long Island for their monthly mobility clinic at 10 am on Sunday, October 25th. 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 learn and see what you can do to improve yourself or just to watch what others can do. For more information and directions to the mobility clinic, call the office at 516-681-3484.
September was a very busy month for the runners, triathletes and junior athletes of Team A Step Ahead:
ING Philadelphia Distance Run - Dr. Jack Ahrens (Below Knee) and Tomek Starnawski (Above Knee) ran the 13.1 mile half-marathon. Dr. Ahrens ran the race as a warm-up and training run for his upcoming competition at the ITU World Duathlon championships being held the following weekend. He finished in 2:01:13, and Tomek finished in 2:12:03.
Westchester Triathlon - On Saturday, September 26th, eight junior athletes competed at the Jarden Westchester Triathlon. Jake Lillis (Bilateral Above Knee), Will Kehler (Van Ness Turnoplasty), Cate Hughes (Below Knee) and Tara Dunfee (Below Knee) competed in the 7- 10 age group race consisting of a 75 yard swim/2 mile bike/1 mile run. James Lozano (Bilateral Below Knee), Sofia Castillo (Above Knee), Davonni Baboolal (Below Knee), and Victoria Cutrone- Foley (Above Knee) competed in the 11-14 age group race consisting of a 150 yard swim/4 mile bike/1 mile run.
The junior athletes were assisted during the race by adult athletes and athletes from Team A Step Ahead including Shlomo Nimrodi (Above Knee), Antoinette Dorazio (Above Knee), Craig Pratka (Above Knee), Eric Grimes (Below Knee), Michael Laforgia (Below Knee/partial foot), Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee), Suzanne Guacci (Above Knee) and Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee). Also assisting the athletes were Dave Balsley, P.T. and prosthetists Bernie Guzman and Gwyeth Smith.
The next day, Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) and Dave Kruysman (Below Knee) braved a constant heavy rain to compete in the Olympic-distance event which consisted of a 1500 meter swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. Jeff finished in 2:50:56 and Dave finished in 3:31:29.
It was a great weekend for Team A Step Ahead as the last major team event for the 2009 season wrapped up. Team A Step Ahead looks forward to many more team events that will bring the juniors and adults together.  | Junior Team A Step Ahead, Adult Athletes, Coaches, and Support Crew
|
 | Junior Team A Step Ahead Triathletes - Front Row: Will Kehler, Jake Lillis, Cate
Hughes, Tara Dunfee. Back Row: James Lozano, Sofia Castillo, Davonni Baboolal,
Victoria Cutrone-Foley.
|
ITU World Triathlon Championships - On September 12th, four triathletes from Team A Step Ahead competed at the ITU World Championships in Australia. The ITU World Championships for Para-Triathletes is an Olympic-distance event, consisting of a 1500 meter swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run. Jean Draper (Below Knee) took 3rd in the female BK division with a time of 2:39:41. Sarah Reinersten (Above Knee) took 1st in the female AK divison in a time of 3:39:57. Paul Martin (Below Knee) took 4th in the male BK divison with a time of 2:33:38 and Sam Cila (Below Elbow) took 5th in the upper extremity divison with a time of 2:39:41.
Ironman Wisconsin - On September 13th, Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) completed his 5th Ironman competition at Ironman Wisconsin. Despite having stomach problems and nausea throughout nearly the entire running portion of the race, he completed the race in 13 hours and 3 minutes. Jeff bounced back quickly to resume training for his next Ironman in Florida in November.
 | Jeff Glasbrenner at Ironman
Wisconsin.
|
North Face Challenge 50 mile trail race - On September 19th, Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) ran her third North Face Challenge 50 mile trail run this year in Sterling, Virginia, finishing with a time of 10 hours and 18 minutes. Amy placed 13th out of 33 women and 87th overall out of 191 finishers. Amy's time at this 50 mile trail run qualified her for the 2010 Western States Endurance Run. The Western States race, held in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California, is considered one of the hardest 100 mile trial runs in The United States.
I.T.U. World Duathlon Championships - Dr. Jack Ahrens competed in Concord, North Carolina at the World Duathlon Championships. Despite a steady rain throughout the entire race, the 54-year-old below knee amputee finished in a time of 2:37, placing 3rd in the Paratriathlon class. The duathlon race consists of a 10 kilometer run and 40 kilometer bike, followed by a 5 kilometer run.
OUC Downtown Triathlon - Rajesh Durbal (Bilateral Below Knee/Below Elbow) continues his first season as a triathlete at the sprint distance races in Florida. Rajesh completed the OUC triathlon in Orlando in 1 hour 36 minutes for the quarter-mile swim, 11.4 mile bike and 3.7 mile run.
Upcoming events:
New York City Marathon - November 1st: Michael LaForgia (Below Knee/Partial Foot) and John Tartaglio (Bilateral Hip Disarticulation) are scheduled to run the world famous New York City Marathon. For Michael, it will be his first marathon as an amputee. Prior to contracting meningococcemia in late December of 2004 he ran the Marathon in 2002 and 2004. Michael's goal is to run faster then he did as an able-bodied runner, and is hoping to complete the race in under 4:55. Michael will also be running the race to raise money for the National Meningitis Association, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness about meningitis that he is actively involved in. For more information on Michael's fundraising efforts, go to: http://www.nmaus.org/nyc-marathon.htm
John will be making his first attempt at the marathon distance. Since having both legs amputated at the hip in 2004 due to a very rare bacterial infection, John has pushed himself well beyond expectations with his running and participation in triathlons. He has completed 5K and 10K races and will be the first bilateral hip disarticulation amputee to complete a marathon. John will also be running the race to raise money for ASPIRE. To learn more about ASPIRE and to donate based on John's marathon, go to http://www.aspirewithoutlimits.org/node/12
The junior athletes will be participating in two exciting events the weekend of October 17th and 18th. They will be learning new sports and skills during a multi-sports day at Chelsea Piers in New York and will have modern dance instruction from the world famous Alvin Alley American Dance Theater.
Amy Palmerio-Winters (Below Knee) will be attempting to qualify for the 2010 Badwater 135 mile race by running two 100 mile races, the Heartland 100 in Kansas on October 10th and the Ozark 100 Trail run in Missouri on November 7th.
Amputee Coalition Ramps Up Efforts to Push for Access to Prosthetic Devices in the National Healthcare Reform Bill On September 16th, amputees from as far away as North Dakota and Montana joined local activists at an event organized by the Amputee Coalition of America. The group called on elected officials to include fair insurance coverage for prosthetic arms and legs in healthcare reform. They also called for continued inclusion of language to preclude insurance denials due to pre-existing conditions, and they supported creating a comprehensive health-disparities category to ensure equity and accountability in advancing coverage.
The message that we hear time and again from lawmakers is the need to hear from the grassroots. It is essential that people who care about protecting access to devices get involved in our state and federal initiatives. Many people are afraid to get involved or they aren't sure that they can truly make a difference. We decided to share just a few of the stories that came out of our recent lobby day in order to help illustrate the importance as well as the reward of standing with us and taking action!
Larry Chiat said, "This morning [lobby day], I did not know what a lobbyist was and now I am one. I did not have the sleeked backed hair, the tailored suit or the expensive attache case and I walk slower. But with my purple shirt, my $5 tie and my cloth grocery shopping bag, I proceeded to my appointment with confidence." Larry is an amputee from Baltimore, MD. This was his first experience as an activist.
"I have been fortunate in receiving all of my prosthetic care and supplies with little or no expense to me and I felt it was my duty to go to Washington to speak out for those who couldn't speak out for themselves. I went as an amputee, as a nurse, as an advocate, and as a proud American citizen!" said Carolyn McKinzie. Carolyn is an amputee and an author from Gardiner, Maine.
Brandon Morehouse of Portland, OR said, "It was such a great honor to fly out to D.C. and 'be the change!' I felt like I was able to reach my representative. I was able to watch Senator Baucus' press conference, which was extremely inspiring. He brought up the fact that health care is a moral issue, and he said that everyone in the room owed it to themselves and their grandchildren to secure health reform." Brandon is an upper extremity amputee. The lobby day was his first advocacy activity.
"Meeting the new faces, seeing some of the old ones and sharing our stories (also helps me validate my approach to life. To me it is that simple. Plus, I always have a good time," said Don Davis of Pottstown, PA. Don is a bilateral amputee who has been very active on the state and federal campaign.
"This was a great opportunity to come face to face with legislators and with other advocates; to voice our concerns at this critical junction in the debate," said Nelson Lathrop of Bowie, MD. Nelson has fought on the state and federal level. He has a lifetime cap on prosthetic care. John Caputo said, "As a licensed orthotist and business owner I see every day the very real, positive impact we make in peoples lives. The successes we achieve daily should be available to ALL patients, and not be dependant on coverage restrictions. Good, quality medical care may cost more short term, but in the long term it saves money." John is the incoming President of the New Jersey Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.
"Brendan and I were inspired by the gracious welcome he received on Capitol Hill. It was moving to sit in on a Congressional Oversight Hearing and hear our own Representative Tierney ask the same questions we ask at our dinner table everyday. This experience gives us hope that prosthetic parity can be accomplished," said Ginger Driscoll of Essex, MA. She traveled to DC with her 11 year old son, Brendan, who is an amputee.
"The lobby day was such an awesome experience! I went to fight for my fellow amputees to get the devices they need from their insurance companies. It was the first time in my life I feel like I really helped make a difference in our country," said Susan Bailey of Monroe, Virginia. Susan is a bilateral amputee who has personally struggled with insurance issues.
Ginna Goodenow of Silver Spring, MD said, "What happened for me was transformational. I got to witness firsthand what we've been working towards together. I could taste how close we are getting -- and knowing that am a part of something this important was an honor and a privilege. To be useful to my fellow human beings is a priority. I really won't rest until we've accomplished the goals in front of us." Ginna lives in the DC metro area. She is very active in raising awareness around the need for prosthetic care. She is the founder of "Kicking for Kids Who Can't," a fundraiser that provides devices for children with limb loss.
CALL TO ACTION!
We are committed to ensuring that the essential benefit categories in the House and Senate bills include coverage for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS).
Please call or write your representative and senator today and let them know that you expect healthcare reform to provide adequate coverage for all Americans, including people with limb loss!
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office. Message: Please include specific language around rehabilitative services such as prosthetic devices in the healthcare reform bill. Help amputees remain employed, independent and productive.
|
