Through the Given Limb website, we receive many questions about what to do with prosthetic limbs that are not being used anymore.  Often when a family member who was an amputee passes away, the family members don’t want to discard his/her expensive prosthetic limbs, and are looking for some way to donate them to someone who is in need.  To our knowledge, there is no clearinghouse or agency that tries to match unused prosthetic devices with amputees in need.  We welcome feedback from anyone who has had experience donating prosthetic limbs, or who has knowledge of organizations that facilitate such donations.

Prosthetic technology has been advancing quickly, especially with respect to prosthetic legs.  New technology allows leg amputees to participate in many sports and activities that enhance quality of life.  The same may not be true of prosthetic arm technology.  While there are exciting efforts currently under development to create “bionic” arms, upper limb amputees still face many limitations in dealing with everyday life issues.  The resumption of athletic pursuits with a prosthetic arm may often seem unrealistic.  

Because the number of people with prosthetic arms is small, even relatively simple sports-related prosthetic arm modifications may not be available to the typical person.  But it may be that, with a limited amount of funding and access to basic engineering resources, some useful arm modifications could be developed to allow those with prosthetic arms to enjoy some of the activities that were important to them before their amputation, or to take on new activities to enhance their life.  For example, some engineering students at Duke University developed an arm modification that allowed a young man who lost an arm in Iraq to resume rock-climbing.

The Given Limb Foundation would like your ideas! Are there activities you would like to take on, if only your prosthetic arm had some modification to allow it?  Have you made modifications to your arm to allow you to participate in sports or other recreational activities?  Do you have information to share about how you or others you know have resumed athletic activities after an amputation?  

We have learned that the Challenged Athletes Foundation has grants available to those who need assistance with equipment, travel, etc., in order to resume athletic pursuits. We welcome other ideas for funding as well as ideas for prosthetic modifications.

Injured service members work hard to recover. Service men and women injured in Iraq and Afghanistan often return home to take on a new mission: getting well. Soldiers who have lost limbs, suffered disfiguring injuries and often traumatic brain injuries rely on families and loved ones for support in tackling this mission.  Military rehabilitation centers such as the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas have state-of-the-art facilities to help these soldiers learn to walk, drive and cope with some of the most basic life skills.  (source: Parade Magazine, January 8, 2008)

Prison inmates are training dogs to help disabled people, including Iraq veterans. An organization called Puppies Behind Bars enlists inmates at several prisons in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to help train service dogs to complete tasks that a disabled person cannot take for granted, like flipping a light switch, shutting a closet door or taking off socks. Many of the dogs will eventually be farmed out free of charge to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who are themselves confined — to wheelchairs or to navigating life with a missing limb or two. (source: New York Times, June 1, 2008)

For a slideshow about the dog-training program and a video of Bill Campbell, an Iraq war veteran who now lives with one of the dogs, go towww.nytimes.com/Intheregion.

In June, 5-time PGA tour winner, Ken Green, lost his right leg in a car accident. The accident also claimed the life of girlfriend and brother. But last week, Green took to the links with a prosthetic leg and played 11 holes. He finished 3 over par. Green still has severe pain that is not managed well by medication, but hopefully conquering that challenge will also be part of his comeback.