Newsletters

September Newsletter     Volume 5    Issue 9

Patients in the News 

Alexandra Cappeleni

Alexandra Capelleni will be going to the Beijing Paralympics along with 24 other children from across the United States who entered a contest sponsored by U.S. Paralympics. Alexandra had to complete an application which included an essay on, "how much you love sports." She and the 24 other children will be attending the first week of competition of the Paralympics, which run from September 6 - 17.

Alexandra is a proud member of Junior Team A Step Ahead. A story about Alexandra and her upcoming trip to the Paralympic games was in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper. The complete story can be read at: http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/
category.php?category_id=9&id=22657

Muscle & Fitness magazine's September edition featured a story on Jesse Levine in its Success Stories section. Jesse is an above the knee amputee who was in a serious car accident in July of 2004 that resulted in multiple fractures in his right arm, a fractured left heel, torn Achilles tendon, fractured pelvis, fractured vertebrae, and the amputation of his right leg above the knee. Very quickly after his rehabilitation, Jesse resumed his passion for weight training and weight lifting.

An article on Kelly Bruno was on the front page of the NY Times Sports Section and in the NY Post. Kelly is the first amputee to work at the US Open as a ball person. Click the following links to read the articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/sports/tennis/29ballgirl.html?_
r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292008/news/nationalnews/foot_
fault__no__126611.htm 

Cate Hughes, Victoria Cutrone Foley, and Amy Palmiero-Winters were featured in a front page story in the Philadelphia Inquirer on their team racing at the SheROX triathlon on Sunday September 3:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/main_line_delaware/
20080804_A_run_of_inspiration.html

More details on the race and pictures can be found in the Team A Step Ahead section of this newsletter.

Shlomo Nimrodi was featured in a five page article in an Israeli publication entitled "Halohem" ("The Warrior" in Hebrew). The publication is distributed to approximately 50,000 Israeli war veterans who have suffered from an injury during their military service throughout the years. The headline of the article is: "Do Not Compromise on Mediocrity." The purpose of the article is to encourage amputees in Israel to step up and ask the Israeli authorities to take actions to improve the level of care as it relates to artificial limbs. It is part of a process that Shlomo started after he began as a patient with A Step Ahead and learned how much he can improve his life as an above knee amputee.

The article is an interview with Shlomo. It lays out his life story starting with the circumstances of his injury in 1978, while serving in the Israeli Special Forces in Lebanon, until the present. The article describes the fact that in the course of 27 years, he used very mediocre prosthetic legs made both in Israel and the United States and only dreamed about running and cycling competitively. Finally, the article calls on the Ministry of Defense of Israel to accept a plan he presented to them that, if adopted, will improve the level of care in Israel and make A Step Ahead Prosthetics the center of knowledge and expertise for the Israeli amputee population and their care givers.

An article about Sandy Dukat on the website oregonlive.com tells the story about Sandy and the 197 mile Hood to Coast relay race:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/hood_to_coast_race_no_
problem.html 

For more details about the Hood to Coast relay race, go to the Team A Step Ahead section of this newsletter.

Golf Digest magazine covered the Eastern Amputee Golf Championships held at Bethpage State Park on Long Island. Kenny Bontz, who won the overall two-day tournament, and Danny Stein, who took second place in the junior division, were featured in the magazine's slide show on their website:  
http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2008/08/photos_amputees

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TV and Internet Coverage of the Beijing Paralympic Games

While we all watched in awe as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt broke numerous records and thrilled the sports world at the Olympic Games, thousands of athletes with physical disabilities were in their final preparations for the second largest sporting event in the world: the Paralympic Games.

The Paralympic Games are the parallel games to the Olympics held at the same site as the Olympics. Athletes with physical disabilities compete at the Paralympics, which includes athletes with limb loss, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, and visual impairments. The Paralympic Games in Beijing will be held from September 6 -17. The games feature 4,000 athletes from 150 countries in 20 sports.

Universal Sports, the Olympic channel co-owned by NBC and InterMedia Partners, will offer the first-ever TV and digital broadcast of the Paralympic Games courtesy of an agreement with BOCOG and the International Paralympic Committee.

A TV broadcast of the 2008 Paralympics will begin Oct. 8 and will include seven days of three-hour broadcasts. Live and delayed highlights of the Games also will be available in the U.S. online at universalsports.com from Sept. 6-17. GE has signed on as the title sponsor of the broadcasts, and Visa has signed on as an associate sponsor. Olympic play-by-play commentator Al Trautwig will host the coverage of the 2008 Paralympics. The internet coverage can be found at: http://www.universalsports.com/HomePage.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=23000

In addition, the International Paralympic Committee-sponsored internet TV station will broadcast the Paralympics at http://player26.narrowstep.tv/assets/players/3206/html/index.html

Look for Team A Step Ahead athletes competing at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China from September 6-17. Jesse Karamazin will be competing in the rowing competition. Alison Jones will be competing in cycling in her 4th Paralympic Games. Lee Carter will represent Canada on the wheelchair tennis team.  The newest member of Team A Step Ahead, Jeff Glasbrenner, is on the United States wheelchair basketball team.

Updates to the A Step Ahead Website

The A Step Ahead website is continuing to be updated through video, photo and descriptions to highlight all of the services we offer. Our newest updates are pages that highlight our pediatric services including a page on the Junior Team A Step Ahead program:
http://www.astepaheadonline.com/aboutus_services_pediatric.html
and
http://www.astepaheadonline.com/junior_tasah.html 

In addition, the A Step Ahead Educational Booklet, Skin Tones Brochure, and the video "Live Life Without Limitations" can be accessed online at: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/mailer.html

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, September 14. 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. For more information and directions to the mobility clinic, call the office at 516-681-3484.

The next ASPIRE support group meeting will be on Wednesday September 24 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, 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 9-11 AM Hoyt Board Room Children's Hospital of New York
in Room 121, 3959 Broadway New York, NY 10032. (Enter on West 167th and Broadway at the glass Energy Court.) For further information and to RSVP, contact Annette Ward at 212-305-3964.

The Long Island amputee support group 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.

A.C.A. Names New President

Kendra Calhoun has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Amputee Coalition of America, the leading national educational organization providing information and support to the more than 1.7 million individuals living with limb loss in the United States.

Ms. Calhoun joins the Amputee Coalition from the Samueli Institute, where she served as Chief Operating Officer. The Samueli Institute, based in Alexandria, VA, is a nonprofit scientific research organization that investigates healing processes and their application in promoting health and wellness, preventing illness, and treating disease.

Before joining the Institute, Ms. Calhoun was a partner with Carmichael Lynch Spong public relations. Prior to that, she was the corporate vice president of marketing, public relations, and communications at Allina Health System, Minnesota's largest health system. Earlier, Ms. Calhoun was the executive director of the Minnesota Chiropractic Association. She also worked with the Robert C. Byrd West Virginia University Health Sciences Center.

Ms. Calhoun earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in journalism from West Virginia University. Ms. Calhoun succeeds Paddy Rossbach, RN, who is retiring after seven years as the organization's President and CEO.

The Amputee Coalition of America's national advocacy department has been working hard to advance legislation throughout the country to create a consistent standard for prosthetic benefits.

To date, a total of 11 state parity laws have been passed. The ACA is currently working towards legislation in another 29 states. They are pushing legislation in the U.S. Congress that would provide these same protections to the health plans regulated by the federal government. The Prosthetic Parity Act of 2008 (HR 5615) was introduced on March 13th.

Many important issues are considered in state legislatures and in Congress that impact the daily lives of every person with limb loss in this country. The lawmakers who make these decisions are put in office by the people who exercise their right to vote.

On November 4th, we will elect the next president of the United States. Many states will also fill seats for Congress, their state legislatures, and even local offices like mayors and town council members. They are put in this position by people like you. That is why voting is not only your right but also your obligation and your civic duty. It is also your chance to weigh in on who will make the decisions that affect your life. So get registered, get educated, and get out to the polls on November 4th!

     Team A Step Ahead Updates

Jeff Glasbrenner, a below the knee amputee from Little Rock, Arkansas, is the newest member of Team A Step Ahead. Jeff's opportunity in life came on July 30, 1981, when he was involved in a traumatic farming accident, leaving him a below the knee amputee. Most would call this a tragedy. Jeff would say it was his greatest opportunity because, like any situation, you can either embrace it and make the best of it or you can regret it and fail. He chose to embrace this unique opportunity.

Jeff is a world record holder for points scored in a single wheelchair basketball game. In the 2004 national championship game, he scored 63 points and pulled down 27 rebounds. He is a two-time world champion, three-time Paralympian (2000, 2004, 2008), four-time national champion, and Eurocup champion in wheelchair basketball.

Just over three years ago, Jeff became involved in the sport of triathlon. He is a four-time Ironman finisher. Two weeks after the Paralympics in Beijing, Jeff will be competing in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. To read more about Jeff's accomplishments go to his page on our website:
http://www.astepaheadonline.com/jeff_glassbrenner.html