Miracles on a Mountainside

VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, Tammy Duckworth, takes to the slopes at the 24th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic on March 31, 2010. VA photo by April Eilers . The havoc that war inflicts on warriors has changed little throughout history, but happily, the treatment and care that survivors receive has changed—some would say miraculously. Wounded veterans who once might have been homebound are now able to lead relatively normal, active lives, thanks to new prosthetic technologies, compassionate caregivers, and a new generation of veterans who expect to resume an active life after traumatic injury. During the 24th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colorado, held March 28-April 2, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials and amputees experienced the options available to wounded veterans today. Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the VA, herself a bilateral amputee, highlighted VA efforts to facilitate the transition of disabled veterans to everyday life. She said, "We are hiring more disabled employees. We provide all of the equipment they might need to hold down a job...and identify positions they can work in with their new disabilities. That's what being out here at the Winter Sports Clinic is all about—if you can ski down a mountain in Snowmass, you can hold a regular job." Stephen Bruggeman skis the slopes at the 24th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic on March 30, 2010. VA photo by Jeff Bowen . Joseph Miller, MD, the VA's national director for prosthetics and orthotics, worked the Prosthetic Service and Repair host room during the Winter Sports Clinic. He has seen veterans using their devices in conditions that would impress any athlete. "My experience has been that being able to provide multiple devices for different activities has been a success at [the] DOD [the Department of Defense] as well as [the] VA," he said. "The private sector doesn't have the freedom we have.... Because of the procurement process the government enjoys, we are able to get a lot of those products before they hit the private market." He added, "It's an exciting time to be part of this profession and with the VA.... There are so many things that are now on the horizon that will really transform patient care." He observes that some changes are prompted by recent generations of veteran amputees. "Technology is coming much more rapidly to them. They're using it differently, and the acceptance of it is different within the community and for their own self-image." U.S. Coast Guard veteran Stephen Bruggeman, a participant at the Winter Sports Clinic, typifies the new veteran that Miller describes. Bruggeman skis, runs, and kayaks. Asked about his return to an active life after his injury and what aided his transition most, Bruggeman credited the compassion of the practitioners. "They really changed my life," he said. "Their care was the difference. They make us feel human again." As Bruggeman explained, "Anybody can make a leg.... It's a question of making it so it doesn't hurt. My original prosthetic company pushed me out the door [with a poorly designed prosthesis]. They just wanted the money." He can't say enough about his current provider, the Prosthetics Unit at the Sioux Falls Veterans Medical Center in South Dakota, and their willingness to listen and understand his lifestyle needs and desires. "My guy has made [me] three different kinds of legs, and these devices have allowed me to be very athletic." It's critically important, he emphasized, for patient and practitioner to have a constructive and honest dialog: "My guy knows my needs, and I know his capabilities." The Winter Sports Clinic showcases the world-class healthcare and rehabilitation that is a primary goal of the VA. But it also provides a glimpse into the latest world of prosthetic technologies—the "miracles on a mountainside"—and the aspirations and achievements of those who use them. Crystal Ettridge is a freelance writer and photographer living in Washington DC. She can be reached at linkEmail('ettridgecrystal','aol.com'); ADN Receives $25,000 Grant The Athletes with Disabilities Network (ADN), organizer of the Extremity Games, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Foundation's Worldwide Grant Program. The grant will be matched by Easter Seals-Michigan, of which ADN is an affiliate, and will support ADN's Mentoring and Outreach program. "For many people who have suffered the trauma of limb loss, getting involved in sports and continuing to pursue activities that they previously enjoyed can make a huge difference in their recoveries, self-confidence, and quality of life," said Elizabeth Taylor, executive director of ADN. "ADN provides opportunities for people who have suffered a limb loss to not only compete in sports, but to educate themselves on sports that they have never before tried." ADN was formed by the merger of the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame and the Extremity Events Network, the original organizers of the Extremity Games. Its programs include the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame, the Extremity Games, the Adaptive Sports Coalition, mentoring, outreach, and college scholarships. The MDRT Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Million Dollar Round Table, The Premier Association of Financial Professionals ®.

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