Three thousand individuals this week will become an amputee (almost 18 per hour). Many of these people will be unable to access prosthetic care. In fact, some will not even be able to afford a $20.00 stump sock. Because our reputation and services are nationally recognized, many will turn to Limbs for Life for help. We are often their first, and sometimes, their last hope. With adequate funding, we are able to help transform lives from a state of depression and isolation to one of confidence and productivity. Please take a moment to read the stories of our recipients below, whose lives have changed because of Limbs for Life.
Limbs for Life also does work outside the United States thanks in large part to the donation of used prosthetic limbs to the foundation. Find out more about how these donations benefit those outside the U.S. by reading about our Dominican Outreach Program.
Connor Karow
Right above-knee amputee
Connor Karow was first introduced to the Limbs for Life family at 2004′s Limb Round-Up. A “Help Connor Walk” campaign at that benefit raised over $18,000. Connor was two at the time and since has received three prosthetic limbs thanks to Limbs for Life.
He is a congenital amputee, born with a right leg that only extends to just above the knee. After using a straight leg prosthetic for his first two years, he was fitted with a prosthetic that included a knee joint shortly after his second birthday. Limbs for Life and those who donated at the 2004 benefit helped make it easier for Connor to get around.
Two LFL patients – Charlie Swearingen (USA Sitting Volleyball Paralympian & Connor Karow) Limbs for Life – building strong mentor relationships.
Chase Thompson
Right Leg Amputee
Chase Thompson, who lives in Waggoner, Oklahoma, is like any other nine year old. He loves to play sports and just be an energetic fun loving kid. On July 21, 2006, his mother made the difficult decision to have his right leg amputated below the knee due to a condition he was born with called, fibular hemimelia. Jan Thompson, his mother, is a single mom of three beautiful children and needed assistance like so many other families do. She turned to Limbs for Life Foundation and now Chase runs and plays displaying that nothing will stop him!
Fibular hemimelia – “the congenital absence of the fibula and it is the most common congenital absence of long bone of the extremities.”It is the shortening of the fibula at birth, or the complete lack thereof. Amputation from fibular hemimelia usually takes place at 6-months with removal of portions of the legs to retro fit them for prosthetic use.
Angela Risley
Right leg below-knee amputee
At the age of eleven, Angela Risley’s life changed dramatically. An everyday ride to the store with her sister ended in tragedy in 1996 when a drunk driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into Angela on her bicycle. As a result, she lost her right leg from the knee down.
Now the mother of 4 young children, Angela’s old prosthesis was painful to wear, making it difficult to perform her everyday activities and play with her children. But Angela found hope in the Limbs for Life Foundation! Now she has a brand new prosthesis, thanks to the combined effort of Limbs for Life and Hanger Prosthetics.
Angela is so grateful for her new prosthesis and says, “It’s easier to play with my kids now and I can do so many more activities with ease!”
Luke Bader
Right leg below-knee amputee
Luke Bader was the picture of health before he started experiencing pain in his right ankle. After two visits with his doctor in December of 2003, he discovered that he had a rare form of cancer. In order to save his life, he was forced to amputate his right leg, below the knee.
Newly married and a child on the way, Luke was desperate for help so he could return to work and provide for his new family. The American Cancer Society referred Luke to the Limbs for Life Foundation. By the time his limb was healed, he was fitted for a brand new prosthesis, completely free of charge, thanks to the Limbs for Life Foundation and Hanger Prosthetics.
Now Luke is back to work and able to play with his brand new baby boy!
Rolanda Kretchmar
Right leg below-knee amputee
A tragic car accident on July 7, 2002 forever changed the life of Rolanda Kretchmar and her two sons. Rolanda and her teenage son collided head-on with a vehicle that had lost control on the highway. Miraculously, she and her son survived the accident, but not without the loss of her right leg.
A single mother of two teenage sons, Rolanda was in need of help in order to provide for her boys and maintain her household. Luckily, she had a job she could maintain while recovering in a wheelchair, however, she was without insurance and unable to afford a prosthesis.
That’s when Rolanda sought help from the Limbs for Life Foundation. With funding and componentry provided by Limbs for Life and services donated by Community O & P, Rolanda received a brand new prosthesis and is back to being the energetic woman she used to be!
Casey Fitzpatrick
Left leg below-knee amputee
Casey Fitzpatrick found out he had a flesh-eating virus in his left leg nine days after he was married in 1993. Thirteen years and numerous infections and trips to the hospital later, he had to have the leg amputated below the knee in April 2006.
It was a confusing time for the Colorado Springs, Colo., resident. But with his wife by his side, he knew he could get through it.
“The hardest part was at the time I wasn’t in any pain,” he said. “I went in knowing I would come out a different person.”
The taxi driver and avid bowler was involved in many of the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer. He mountain biked and fly fished the streams around Colorado Springs. As a bowler, he was good enough to earn his Professional Bowlers Association card.
After the amputation, Casey was unable to work or do any of the things he loved. Without a job or insurance, he turned to Limbs for Life for help getting a prosthesis. Limbs for Life was able to get Casey a new leg in early 2007. Prosthetist Mandy Myers and Horizon Prosthetics donated their time and made Casey’s leg.
Now, thanks to Limbs for Life, Casey is back to mountain biking and looks forward to returning to fly fishing. And he has returned to form as a bowler. He is the only amputee bowling in his league and maintains close to a 200 average.
He has qualified to compete in a national bowling tournament in the summer of 2008. He will be the only amputee there. And it’s all thanks to his determination, the support of his family and help from the Limbs for Life Foundation.
“Limbs for Life got me back on my feet and off crutches,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was a life-saver.”
Vernette Eli
Left above-knee amputee
Vernette Eli lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident in 1981, just before her 18th birthday. Despite losing her leg, she was able to get around on prosthesis, work and spend time with her horses in her hometown of Hillman, Minn.
But Vernette and her husband, Chris, were self employed. Vernette was forced to go without a leg when government cut-backs to health care stopped covering prosthesis. She would go five years without getting a new leg and was unable to do things that were important in her life, including ride her horses.
“That’s my lifeline,” Eli said. “I can’t live or breathe without seeing my horses.”
She found out about the Limbs for Life Foundation and sent in an application in February 2007. By July, she had a new leg and a new lease on life.
Thanks to the help of Limbs for Life and North Metro Orthotics and Prosthetics in Fridley, Minn., Vernette returned to horseback riding and doing everything she loves. The help she received has taught her to cherish life and what it has to offer.
“It taught me there’s hope out there,” Eli said. “Without Limbs for Life, I would have had to just go without a leg.”
Stephen Atkinson
Left below-knee amputee
Stephen lost his leg at 18 when a car hit him while he was stopped at a light while riding his motorcycle. He spent most of the next year as an outpatient going through physical therapy to adjust to live with a prosthetic leg.
“When you’re that young, it can really change you,” he said. “But life goes on and the world does not stop turning. So you have to keep moving with it. I’ve just grown to live with what I have.”
Stephen went through only two prosthetic legs over the next 34 years. In 2008, he was unable to replace his worn-out leg because he didn’t have insurance. With nowhere else to turn, Stephen applied for help through the Limbs for Life Foundation. He needed a new leg to continue his job at a local grocery store so he could continue to support himself and his family.
A few months later he received a new prosthetic limb thanks to Limbs for Life and Scott Sabolich Prosthetics and Research, which donated their billable hours to help Stephen.
“I didn’t think I was going to get any help because I’ve never had any,” he said. “But Limbs for Life has helped me so much. Without them I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Reece Nelson
Left above-knee amputee
Reece Nelson spent five years adapting to life with only one leg. Now, thanks to his new prosthetic limb from the Limbs for Life Foundation, his days of adapting are over.
Nelson was born missing his left leg above the knee. At first he was able to walk on a prosthetic limb, but it quickly wore out after insurance wouldn’t pay for a new one. Unable to afford a leg that can cost over $15,000. Without prosthesis, he was forced to get around on crutches.
“I’ve been using crutches most of my life and it became more comfortable for me,” Nelson said. “I was pretty good with them, but it limited me in what I could do. I had to constantly adjust.”
The 22-year old Nelson learned about Limbs for Life from his prosthetist, Shelly Hope, at Horizon Orthotics and Prosthetics Experience in Overland Park, Kan. He applied for assistance from the foundation and received a new prosthetic limb in December 2009 thanks to funding from Limbs for Life and the billable hours donated by Hope.
Now, Nelson is able to better enjoy the things he loves most because his hands are free from having to operate crutches. He is also able to perform his job with a Conoco gas station in his hometown of Overland Park.
In his spare time, Nelson studies researches medieval combat and weaponry and performs at renaissance festivals around the region. He said being on one leg severely limited his ability to participate, but he is able to have more fun now that he has a prosthetic leg.
He said he wants to be a musician and plays bass in his band, Klehma.
Chase Thompson
Stephen Atkinson
Reece Nelson
