Patient Success Stories

O&P Professionals Help Build Extraordinary Lives
- Grand Rapids Teen Returns to Tennis with  Help from Prosthetic Limb
- Prosthetic Leg Improves Ithaca Woman's Quality of Life
- First Iraq War Veteran in Beijing Paralympics
- Marine Enjoys the Life Aquatic with "Scuba" Limb
- More Advances in Prosthetic Technology Noted
- Tennessee Considers Parity Legislation
   
How We Are Developing the Best Care For Our Patients
- AOPA Member and Oldest Full-Time Prosthetist, Still Going Strong
- AOPA Member Touch Bionics Expanding to Meet Demand for i-LIMB
- AOPA Member Hanger Adds Latest Acquisitions
- AOPA Member Noted for New Certification
- AOPA Member Profiled in the Boston Globe
- AOPA Member Profiled in the Sacramento Bee

Grand Rapids Teen Returns to Tennis with Help from Prosthetic Limb
About 16 months after losing a limb above the knee, Ashley Hendrick is back on the courts… in an amazing testament to her faith and fortitude. "I always wanted to come back and play, but I did not know if I would be able to," said Hendrick, 18. "Tennis does mean a lot to me. I had to learn how to walk again, I had to learn how to do it differently. I am just really happy that I have been able to get back into tennis and everything else I love to do.”

Prosthetic Leg Improves Ithaca Woman’s Quality of Life
Instead, on Feb. 26, 2007, Liz Heywood had her leg amputated above the knee. She replaced it with a prosthetic knee, leg and foot.“ Getting the amputation was the best decision of my life,” says Heywood, 46, who lives in Spencer and has two daughters, ages 18 and 8. It's a life that many of us would have given up on. It's a life that nearly killed Heywood. But it also made her a better and stronger person.

First Iraq War Veteran in Beijing Paralympics
Melissa Stockwell, who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in Baghdad, was one of 18 women named to the U.S. Paralympic Swim Team on Sunday, becoming the first Iraq war veteran to be selected for the Paralympics. No Iraq or Afghanistan veterans were among U.S. disabled athletes in Athens in 2004 or Turin in 2006. Stockwell is the first to land on the team headed to Beijing this summer.

Marine Enjoys the Life Aquatic with "Scuba" Limb
A 22-year-old Marine, who lost his leg after combat injury in Iraq, used a special prosthesis Monday to scuba dive in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Jeremy Stengel of Waterford, Wisc., is part of a group of 14 soldiers with war-related injuries participating in Warrior Dive through Tuesday. The event is organized by the International Association for Handicapped Divers in conjunction with a Key Largo dive shop and other area businesses.

More Advances in Prosthetic Technology Noted
The Bluetooth technology used in hands-free cell phones also is helping Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill walk again after he lost both his legs above the knees while on patrol in Iraq. Computer chips in each leg send signals to motors in the joints of his artificial legs so the knees and ankles move coordinatively. Bleill's prosthetics have Bluetooth receivers strapped to the ankle. The Bluetooth device on each leg tells the other leg what it's doing and how it's moving - whether walking, standing or climbing steps.

Tennessee Considers Parity Legislation
Amputees and prosthetics makers are pushing Tennessee to require health insurance to cover the cost of replacement limbs. Some private insurance pays only $1,000 to $2,000 for a prosthetic which may cost 10 times that much while other insurance limits the patient to one device per lifetime. A state legislative committee is expected to consider requiring insurers to cover what Medicare does, about 80 percent of the prosthetic cost and a replacement every three to five years.

AOPA Member and Oldest Full-Time Prosthetist, Still Going Strong
Alfred “Denny” Denison, 84, of Tinley Park, is believed to be the oldest full-time prosthetist working in the United States. He's currently working full-time in the Hickory Hills office of Scheck & Siress, a local prosthetics and orthotics company, and spends most Fridays with colleagues at the Shriners Hospitals for Children-Chicago.

AOPA Member Touch Bionics Expanding to Meet Demand for i-LIMB
In order to better meet marketplace demand for its bionic hand, Touch Bionics is establishing a subsidiary in the United States. According to Touch Bionics CEO, Stuart Mead,  “Having a stronger US presence enables Touch Bionics to better serve its growing network of partner clinics in America, the company’s biggest market.”

AOPA Member Hanger Adds Latest Acquisitions
Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. acquired more facilities in Colorado, California, Florida, Arizona, and West Virginia. This expansion adds another nine facilities to the Hanger group.

AOPA Member Noted for New Certification
Bradley Oja of Performance Orthotics and Prosthetics, Inc. in Lawrence, Kansas completed became certified for using the WalkAide system to treat drop foot.

AOPA Member Profiled in the Boston Globe
Next Step Orthotics and Prosthetics (in Newton, MA) and two of their certified prosthetic specialists, Gerald Scandiffio and Arthur Graham are featured in the Boston Globe. Mr. Scandiffio recalls the accident that led to the partial amputation of his leg and Mr. Graham describes his career in the UK and US.

AOPA Member Profiled in Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee features Brian Hayes, a certified prosthetist, at his Hanger office in Sacramento and details his interaction with his patient, Don Harway.

Need more information about the O&P profession?
Or, do you need to speak with an expert in the field?
Contact Steven Rybicki at (571) 431-0876, ext. 235 or srybicki@AOPAnet.org.