September Newsletter Vol. 7 Issue 9
Kelly Bruno on Survivor: Nicaragua
Kelly Bruno of Durham, North Carolina -- a twenty-six-year-old medical student, below-the-knee amputee, and proud member of Team A Step Ahead -- will be competing in the twenty-first season of the Emmy award-winning TV series Survivor. Twenty “castaways” will compete in a tribal battle on Survivor: Nicaragua when the series premieres Wednesday, Sept. 15 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
For the last ten years, Survivor has traveled to the farthest corners of the planet and subjected over 300 contestants to some of the harshest environments in the world. This group of contestants will be marooned in Nicaragua, a land of smoldering volcanoes, unpredictable wildlife, and impenetrable terrain. They will be forced to work together to adapt to their new surroundings, but must compete against each other to stay in the game or be voted out by their peers. Only one contestant will remain to claim the million-dollar prize and title of Sole Survivor.
Find out more about Kelly and Survivor: Nicaragua at the following links: Sam Cila (Below Elbow) will be a featured speaker at the Canine Companions for Independence event on September 29 at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Sam will be speaking and demonstrating with his service dog, Gillian, how service dogs can assist the lives of veterans with physical disabilities. For more information on this event and the Canine Companions for Independence organization go to:
Travels with A Step Ahead Patients
Nine-year-old Cate Hughes (Below Knee) climbed Mount Marcy, the highest mountain peak in New York State. With an elevation of 5,343 feet, Mt. Marcy has steep, rough terrain, crossing streams, and climbing rock faces. Cate climbed Mt. Marcy with her family and was the first one to the top.
Update on Ornichleel Ulyesee
Ornichleel Ulyesee (Below-Knee) from Port au Prince, Haiti continues to progress well and adapt to her new prosthesis. This past May, ten-year-old Ornichleel came to the United States with her mother and spent a week at A Step Ahead where she received her first prosthesis, which was completely donated by A Step Ahead.
From the Billing Department
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 .
Tommy is Back
After sustaining a severe neck injury in a mountain biking accident in early April, Tommy Koehler (Below Knee) is back to training and racing. His first race since the injury was on August 22 at the Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania Olympic-distance triathlon. Despite torrential rain throughout the entire race, Tommy finished in 2:46. Up next for Tommy is a 1/2 Ironman in Rhode Island in September and Ironman Arizona in November.
A story on the rain-soaked race can be found at the following link:
Alison Jones (Above-Knee) won two gold medals at the 2010 IPC World Cycling Championships. In the C2 class, Alison won the road race and the time trial events at the World Championships held in Baie-Comeau, Canada.
To read more about Alison at the Para-cycling World championships go to:
http://usparalympics.org/news/2010/08/22/three-medals-for-team-usa-on-final-day-of-2010-uci-para-cycling-road-world-championships/38129?ngb_id=15
More World Records & Gold for Jessica
Jessica Long (Bilateral Below Knee) continued her dominance as a world-class swimmer. Competing among 649 athletes from 53 countries at the recent International Paralympic Committee World Swimming championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Jessica won seven gold and two silver medals. She also a new world record and an American record in individual events and helped the US team set a world record in the 4 x100 meter freestyle relay. Jessica recently moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to take part in a two-year Resident Athlete program in preparation for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
Hood to Coast Relay
Sandy Dukat (Above Knee), Paul Martin (Below Knee) and Nick Roumonada (Below Knee) participated in the 29th annual OfficeMax Hood to Coast Relay Race. The Hood to Coast Relay is the largest running relay race in the world with 12,000 runners in twelve-person relay teams running 197 miles from the base of Mount Hood in Oregon to Seaside, Oregon.
| Paul Martin, Sandy Dukat, and Nick Roumonada
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Upcoming Events
Sam Cila (Below Elbow) will be competing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on Saturday, October 9.
Nick Roumonada (Below Knee) will be running his first marathon at the ING NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 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.
Starting on Saturday, September 18 at 9am, Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) will be running a twenty-four-hour ultramarathon. The North Coast twenty-four-hour run is held on the Waterfront in Cleveland, Ohio. Amy’s previous best distance at a twenty-four-hour race is 130.4 miles. Look for the results on our website and in the October newsletter.
Amputee Support Groups
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.
For more information on amputee support groups around the country go to http://www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html
 Amputee Coalition of America Holds Successful Meeting with Top Transportation Security Administration Officials in Washington
Agency pledges better training, cooperation and sensitivity when screening air travelers with limb loss
In response to an Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) member survey showing clear dissatisfaction with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screening practices, TSA and ACA officials met in Washington, D.C., on July 19 to address procedures that have become of increasing concern to travelers with limb loss. Outcomes of the meeting included promises of improvement by TSA regarding issues identified in the survey, as well as a pledge to provide ongoing opportunities for meaningful input by ACA members regarding TSA training, screening procedures, and other areas.
According to Kendra Calhoun, ACA president & CEO, the meeting was clearly a success, and plans were put in place for a new cooperative effort between the two organizations. “TSA was responsive to each issue we brought to the table. We view this meeting as a significant step in the right direction and we are hopeful that we will continue our dialogue about the important issues facing travelers with limb loss as part of the broader conversation about accommodating people with disabilities while maintaining appropriate security.”
In a June 23 ACA press release, results of the member survey were disclosed, showing that 75 percent of the respondents were unsatisfied with their most recent TSA experience. Respondents also expressed overwhelming concern about the TSA agents’ lack of consistency and perceived lack of training regarding the screening of travelers with limb loss. As the results drew much national media attention, TSA was responsive and immediately requested a meeting with ACA officials that included Calhoun, ACA board member and frequent flyer Dr. Jeff Cain, amputee attorney and ACA supporter Peter Thomas, and ACA Capitoline political consultant Liz Roberts.
A number of topics of concern to both the ACA and TSA were discussed and an action plan was put into place to address, correct and mitigate these problems. Among them were:
• Re-examination of the CastScope X-ray procedure. The ACA has concerns about the amount of radiation to which people are exposed. TSA will increase the frequency of their training and will develop user-friendly information about its safety. TSA and the ACA will partner in disseminating information about this procedure.
Development of an alternative to the potentially unsafe practice of using stacked bins to conduct CastScope scans. TSA has had several discussions with Terry Sheehan, MD, ACA Medical Advisory Committee Chair and member of the Board of Directors, about identifying an appropriate stool that could be used for this screening process. After being informed that any stool could be problematic for many bilateral above-knee amputees and those with hip/hemi level amputations, TSA is in the process of examining alternative screening techniques using the CastScope that do not involve amputees having to elevate their foot or leg while standing.
• Changes in TSA training. TSA will work closely with their training personnel to develop sensitivity training, helping them to identify real-life scenarios and obtain images of prosthetics so that TSA officers can become more familiar with the many kinds of prosthetics they encounter. In a cooperative effort, the ACA offered to participate in this training by providing local amputee volunteers and by facilitating meetings with prosthetic manufacturers.
• Development of a notification card for travelers with disabilities. TSA recently developed a notification card to provide a mechanism for people with disabilities, medical conditions or medical devices to discreetly inform Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) that they have a condition that may affect their security screening. In addition, having such a card may assist them in moving to the front of any security line or accessing those security lines designated for people with disabilities. The ACA will assist TSA by helping to distribute information about this card to its members.
At the July meeting, a number of other issues of concern to travelers with limb loss were discussed as well. As the TSA procedures and action plans are put into place, the Amputee Coalition will keep members informed by inMotion updates and information on the ACA Web site.
TSA is making plans to appear at the Amputee Coalition’s national conference in Irvine, California, to provide an opportunity for attendees to visit the TSA booth and express their concerns to the TSA representative, Rhonda Basha, director of the Office of Disability Policy and Outreach.
We thank the TSA for their prompt action, concern and dedication in solving these issues for the limb loss community.
As a sidebar, the ACA would like to commend the TSA for their professionalism and cooperation at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in July, as 90 of our 100 campers flew to and from the Amputee Coalition of America’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp. Providing special assistance, lines and procedures, TSA was a great asset in our transportation and logistical efforts.
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