Miracles in Numbers

 
Some of you are aware of how Limbs for Life helps amputees around the world. But I thought I’d take a moment to tell you how many people have regained the ability to walk because of your donations to the foundation and where those donations go.

In 2008 Limbs for Life provided 164 limbs to amputees in 43 different states and assisted another 479 with supplies from all 50 states. The foundation also spent $383,000 on patient care in the United States last year.

With that amount, Limbs for Life is able to help more patients. The average cost for above-knee prosthesis is $21,500 for amputees in the U.S. Limbs for Life pays $2,000 for that same prosthesis. Below-knee prosthesis cost an average of $12,500, but the foundation pays $1,500 for that same prosthesis. We also work with upper extremity prosthetics and keep the numbers about the same.

There are a couple reasons we are able to provide the same prosthesis for such a drastic price difference. Prosthetic clinics from around the nation have agreed to donate their labor. Also, component companies donate the feet, knees, pylons and other supplies to the foundation, which we then supply to the clinics for our patients.

But it doesn’t stop there. The foundation also helps amputees around the world thanks to Americans who have donated their used prosthetic limbs to Limbs for Life.

In the U.S., we are unable to reuse prosthetics due to product liability laws. With that in mind amputees, clinics and families donate the used limbs or limbs of family members who have passed away.  

We work with established clinics in Diyarbakir, Turkey, Lima, Peru, and the Dominican Republic to help amputees at no costs to them. The limbs that are donated are shipped to these clinics and refit to local amputees. We also supply limbs to clinics we have working relationships with in Ecuador, Iraq and Mexico.

The generous limb donations we receive help hundreds every year. In 2007 we supplied the Turkish clinic with 310 limbs, the Peru clinic with 225 limbs and the Dominican clinic with 50 limbs in its first year.  Including all the clinics, we supplied in 2007 we shipped over 1,400 limbs internationally. Using a conservative number of $1,000 per limb, we shipped over $1.4 million worth of prosthetics to these clinics.

There are many ways to help Limbs for Life help amputees. Whether it’s with a monetary or a limb donation, you can let an amputee walk again.