Otto Bock-Sponsored Cyclists Seize the Day

Three amputees recently joined the "Discovery Tour '04 'Seize the Day,'" a sponsored initiative of Otto Bock HealthCare US, Minneapolis, Minnesota. "The primary goal for the 'Discovery Tour '04' was to deliver the message that new technologies have made participation in an active lifestyle more accessible," said Karen Lundquist, spokesperson for Otto Bock HealthCare US. "We were able to accomplish that by partnering with our global network of Otto Bock branches for the international and logistical support."

Highlights According to Lundquist, some of the biggest highlights of the tour were when the riders played volleyball at a rehab center, when they cycled into the Leipzig trade fair (literally riding into the building with a motorcycle escort), and when they biked 100 miles (a century) in one day across the Alps. Lundquist says the riders actually did four century rides over the course of 30 days and nine countries.

Amputees Inspire Others Mitch Reinitz, 48, Brad Kennedy, 28 and Dan Sheret, 42, began a 34-day, 2,200-mile bicycle tour across Europe. Arriving in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 28, the trio had planned to travel through such storied and scenic lands as Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Greece. While traveling, the riders shared their personal experiences with the hope of inspiring others, with or without physical disabilities, to "get off the couch."

"I refuse to be defined by what I've lost," said Kennedy, a prosthetist and transfemoral amputee who lost his leg due to a car accident when he was 17. Kennedy hails from Jackson, Mississippi. "I want to let other people in my situation know that if they put their mind to it and have the willpower, nothing is impossible," he added.

Reinitz, who is an engineer with Boeing in Seattle, Washington, agreed. "I like to refer to myself as an able-bodied amputee. Cycling across Europe provides a wonderful forum to demonstrate that amputees can have very active lives, and we can accomplish strenuous goals that might even intimidate the totally able-bodied." Reinitz, who had been an avid mountain climber and downhill skier, made the difficult decision to amputate a foot and leg to end debilitating pain caused by a degenerative condition.

Sheret too decided on amputation, after three corrective surgeries, to end pain from a shattered right ankle. Sheret underwent an Ertl amputation, which has since allowed him the freedom and mobility to complete a 52-day bike trek across America in 2003, also sponsored by Otto Bock.

According to Lundquist, as the ride progressed the group began facing logistical challenges due to heavy security issues created by Greece's preparations for the Olympic Games. Since the number one goal was to ensure that everyone returned home safely, Otto Bock and the riders decided to cut the tour short by four days.

Support Aids Success "We are thrilled with the efforts the riders put in, both in preparation for the miles they rode, and the goodwill they delivered. The list of people involved is quite long, and no one person could have completed the tour without the support of many people behind the scenes," said Lundquist.

All the riders wear prostheses from Otto Bock. Kennedy was one of the first C-Leg® wearers in the US and has fit nearly two dozen of his own patients with the C-Leg. Reinitz uses the Harmony® System and the LuXon® Max foot. Sheret also uses the Harmony System and an Otto Bock foot.

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