Newsletters

Gabriel Sheena (Van Ness Rotationplasty) was featured in an article in the Michigan Daily. After wrestling for four year in high school, Gabe is starting his second year at the University of Michigan, where he wrestles for the school’s Division One wrestling team.

Gabe Sheena

To read more about Gabe go to:
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/michigan-wrestler-sheena-inspiration

A story about Captain Kimberly Fawcett (Above Knee), of the Canadian Armed Forces was in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. Kim competed at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where she took third place in the above knee division.  

Kim Fawcett

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/Canada---World/Sports/2010-09-08/article-1734570/Triathlon-guides-Canadian-athlete-Kimberly-Fawcett-Smith-through-tragedy/1

Paralympic cyclist and Team A Step Ahead member Allison Jones has been named the United States Olympic Committee Athlete of the Month for August, 2010. Allison took the gold in both the time trial and road race events in her classifications at the 2010 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, Canada. This performance, in addition to strong fan support in a Twitter poll conducted by the USOC, gave Jones the lead in for the award in August.

Allison Jones

To read the full article, click the following link:  
http://usparalympics.org/news/2010/09/08/cyclist-allison-jones-named-usoc-s-august-female-athlete-of-the-month/38438

Kelly Bruno (Below Knee) continues to outlast, outwit, and outplay on Survivor: Nicaragua. Watch Kelly and her teammates battle it out to see who will be the ultimate survivor every Wednesday at 8:00pm ET on CBS.  

Kelly was featured in an article in the Sun Sentinel and interviewed on CBS' Early Show regarding her participation in Survivor: Nicaragua.   

Sun Sentinel:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/fl-ppl-kelly-bruno-survivor-091410-20100914,0,4326326.story
 
CBS Early Show
http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-national/jimmy-johnson-kelly-bruno-talk-survivor-nicaragua-on-cbs-early-show-video

Team A Step Ahead's Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) was named Ford's Everyday Hero at the 2010 Ironman Wisconsin on September 12th. Jeff is currently in the midst of running eight Ironman triathlons during 2010 to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of losing his leg; Wisconsin was number five. To read about Jeff at Ironman Wisconsin, click the following link:
 
http://ironmanlive.com/updates.php?type=U&race=wisconsin&year=2010&page=1&order=ASC

Jeff Glasbrenner

Team A Step Ahead member Nick Roumonada (below knee) was featured on News 4 San Diego in a segment regarding his running the Seattle Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in June. Nick, who lost his leg at age thirteen as a result of meningitis, is currently training to run the New York Marathon in November. 

Go to the following link to watch the story on Nick: 
http://web.me.com/johngefrom/NICK_ROUMONADA/Movie.html

Team A Step Ahead's Amy Palmiero-Winters and Junior Team A Step Ahead's Cate Hughes have been nominated for Huffington Post's "Who is the Ultimate Game Changer in Sports?" award. In the site's words:
 
"HuffPost's Game Changers series celebrates 100 innovators, visionaries, and leaders in 12 categories who, whether working in the spotlight or under the radar, are changing how we look at the world and the way we live in it. We salute them for their willingness to look at things and take the risk of saying, 'I think I have a better way.'"
 
Voting is now open; to vote, you need to register with Huffington Post OR have a Facebook, Twitter, or Google Account. You can vote by clicking the following link:
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/15/who-is-the-ultimate-game-_9_n_703635.html#s133914
 
Voting is done by ranking each nominee on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. We can't tell you how to vote, but hopefully you can help support Amy and Cate!

It is that time of year again, when summer ends and fall begins. It is also insurance options time for many people. In fall, many insurance companies allow you to opt in or out of specific aspects of your insurance plan or change your policy and coverage. It is time to check your insurance coverage to make sure that you are optimizing your prosthetic coverage. If you have any questions about your current insurance coverage for prosthetics or any changes that have recently occurred in your insurance plan, call our billing department or email us at janet@astepaheadonline.com.

On September 15, physicians in the North Shore/LIJ rehabilitation medicine residency program attended a three-hour lecture at A Step Ahead. The lecture, entitled "Prosthetics in the 21 Century: Maximizing Function for Individuals with Limb Loss," focused on the basics of lower extremity and upper extremity prosthetics. The lecture included patient demonstrations, hands-on prosthetic education, demonstration of silicone life casting, and a complete tour of A Step Ahead’s facility.

Worldwide sports network ESPN is launching a new digital enterprise called espnW. The goal of espnW is to develop a business specifically targeting women by cultivating an inclusive female sports culture of respect and empowerment. An inaugural two-day retreat held in La Jolla, CA from September 30 to October 2 included leaders in business, professional sports, college athletics, health & fitness experts and the educational and non-profit community. Amy Palmiero-Winters was the only athlete invited who uses a prosthetic. For more information about espnW go to: http://www.espnwretreat.com/

The final team event of the 2010 season was the Jarden Westchester Triathlon at Rye Beach, New York. On Saturday, September 25, Cate Hughes (Below Knee), Tara Dunfee (Below Knee), Haley Tyrell (Hip Disarticulation), Larry Mantilla (Above Knee), Wil Kehler (Van Ness Rotationplasty), Diego Barcenas (Above Knee), James Lozano (Bilateral Below Knee), Jeff Rodriguez (Below Knee), James Mauldin (Bilateral Below Knee), Julia Brietenbach (Above Knee), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Above Knee), and Jake Lillis (Bilateral Above Knee) competed in the Kids Triathlon. Junior athletes ages 7- 10 did a 75-yard swim/2 mile bike/1 mile run; ages 11-14 did a 150-yard swim/4 mile bike/1 mile run. For six of the juniors, it was their first experience in a triathlon.

The Junior Team

The Junior Team with Parents, Coaches, and Friends

John Tartaglio (Bilateral Hip Disarticulation), Lori Penesis (Below Knee), Ben Simmons (Above Knee), Renato Castilho (Below Knee), Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee), and Sam Cila (Below Elbow), competed on two relay teams at the Olympic distance race consisting of a 1500 meter swim, 40 kilometer bike and 10 kilometer run. John and Sam completed the swim stages, Ben and Renato did the bike, and Lori and Amy finished with the run stage for their respective teams. 

Lori Penesis, John Tartaglio, and Ben Simmons	Amy Palmiero-Winters, Renato Castilho, and Sam Cila

Dave Kruysman (Below Knee), who was returning to triathlon for the first time this year after a long layoff, competed in the Olympic distance individual competition finishing in 3:44:27

Dave Kruysman

Ben Simmons (Above Knee) represented the United States at the World Duathlon Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ben took first place in his division of the 5.75 km run, 23.3 km bike, and another 3 km run. To read more about the event and Ben Simmons go to the following links:

http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/2010/09/03/usas-simmons-earns-gold-to-open-duathlon-world-championships/38375?ngb_id=12

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/localnews/8395033.Gold_medal_for_amputee_Ben_Simmons/

One of the youngest and newest members of Junior Team A Step Ahead, three-year-old Gino Pascarella (Below Knee) of North Merrick, N.Y., started his first soccer season. We look forward to hearing more about Gino’s soccer season and his other athletic accomplishments.

Gino Pascarella

Kenny Bontz (Above Knee) took 2nd place overall at the United States Amputee National Golf Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Based on the results at the Nationals and other tournaments this year Kenny was selected to be on the prestigious 2011 U.S. Amputee Ryder Cup Team.
  
Upcoming Events:

Sam Cila (Below Elbow) will be competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday October 9.

Jean Draper (Below Knee) will be running in her first marathon since returning to running with a prosthesis at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 10. 

Nick Roumonada (Below Knee) will be running his first marathon at the ING NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 7.

For the third year in a row, the junior team will be assisting at the PowerBar Aide station at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7.

Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) has 3 more Ironman Triathlons to complete this year: IM Florida on November 6, IM Arizona on November 21, and IM Cozumel on November 28.

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 every first Friday of the month 10:00-12:00 PM. Milstein Hospital 8 Garden North Dayroom (8th floor rehab unit) Milstein Hospital Building 177 Fort Washington Ave. For more information contact Sharon Clark at 212-305-3964.

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.  

The Federal Prosthetic and Custom Orthotic Parity Act (S.3223) was introduced in April by Senators Olympia Snowe and Tom Harkin. The Amputee Coalition of America and the American Orthotics & Prosthetic Association have worked together with special help from the O&P Alliance over the past year to get the bill introduced. In addition to the alliance members and the ACA, there are more then 25 other non-profit organizations with a stake in O&P patient care outcomes supporting the legislation. 

During the first session of the 112th Congress, the ACA will advocate for strategies that promote sound public policy aimed at supporting the health and well being of people living with limb loss/difference; providing fair access to prosthetic and orthotic devices; and reducing limb loss – every day 500 Americans lose a limb.

2011 Priorities:

• Fund the National Limb Loss Information Center
• Advance Arms and Legs Are Not a Luxury: Prosthetic & Orthotic Parity
• Pass the Limb Loss Awareness Month Resolution
• Make Parking Permits Practical
• End the Two-Year Waiting Period for Medicare Benefits
• Support State O&P Licensure Efforts for Consumer Protection

For more details about the Amputee Coalition of America’s 2011 advocacy agenda go to:

http://www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/2011_advocacy_agenda.html