Sunday, November 22, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

I don't have to say anything. This video says it all.

Friday, November 13, 2009

How the system is supposed to work

Here's a story that's close to home. This is an example of how medicine and prosthetics should work. When you watch the video, you'll see my surgeon and my prosthetist because this surgery was done right here by the same professionals that helped me after my accident.

You can witness the level of dedication and compassion to provide what's best for this young man who loses his arm to cancer. However, he lives in Missouri, a state where prosthetic parity is the law. Discriminating against amputees is illegal here so he will get the prosthesis prescribed by his physician and demonstrated in this video by his prosthetist.

If he were a Kansas resident, his prosthesis most likely would not be covered. If his parents worked for the state, it most certainly would NOT be covered. In Kansas, this would be considered "deluxe, a luxury item that provides comfort and convenience to the amputee and is thereby a non-covered item." In KS, he would get a hook and a socket, a throwback to World War II.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore... (thank God!)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Sound familiar?

Just more of the same. When are we going to meet in the middle? People are forced to buy prosthetics off E-bay in the United States? What's it gonna be? Mortgage the house or go to E-bay for a black market prosthetic?

I also saw a headline today that read, "Will amputees soon have access to robotic limbs that give them virtually superhuman physcial abilities?!" Duh. NO. Not when we can't even access 10 year old technology. Plus, if ignorant reporters who don't have a clue how prosthetics compare to a real limb keep putting these kinds of articles out there, the insurance companies will continue to look at anything even moderately "advanced" as something deluxe and "superhuman." Hey, give me "close-to-human" first. Give me a good socket that fits. Here's what I can do with my "superhuman robotic limb." Stand up, sit down, walk well on a perfectly flat surface, step backwards, sideways, carry heavy objects without the knee collapsing and falling down. Walk pretty well on rough surface, cycle, walk at various speeds and walk up and down inclines. Here's what I can't do: Sit on a bar stool, sit with both feet touching the floor, jog or run, feel my foot, ride with the C-leg on, get near water with the C-leg on. Doesn't sound very "superhuman" to me.

Anyway, back to today's video. This is the best technology available and this is one plucky lady. She's a "superhuman" but not because of her prosthesis.