April is Limb Loss Awareness Month, and the Amputee Coalition announced it is celebrating by launching Show Your Mettle Day on Saturday, April 27. On April 27, the Coalition is asking individuals with amputations across the country to show their mettle by proudly showing their metal (prostheses) in public.
Show Your Mettle was inspired by Amputee Mommy blogger Peggy Chenoweth, who began a movement in 2011 to raise awareness about living well with limb loss. “With over 500 new amputations occurring every day, I began to wonder why so many amputees felt isolated and alone,” said Chenoweth. “I wanted to create an opportunity to foster conversations about limb-loss issues while encouraging amputees to step out of the shadows. Show Your Mettle Day is the start of a movement, encouraging individuals with limb loss to unite and to work to effect change.”
The Amputee Coalition is also encouraging individuals with amputations to take a picture of themselves showing their prostheses and upload it to its page on Facebook. WillowWood is the national sponsor for the 2013 Show Your Mettle Day, and has committed $1 for every Show Your Mettle Day photo uploaded on the Coalition’s page on Facebook, up to $10,000. There are four categories for which pictures can be submitted: individual; family, friends, and community; support groups/facilities; and workplace. One photo may be submitted for each category. The most-liked pictures from each category will receive recognition on the Amputee Coalition’s website and page on Facebook, in addition to being published in the July/August issue of inMotion magazine and in the Coalition’s 2013 Annual Report.
Another way that individuals with amputations can show their mettle is to dine out at a local Uno’s Chicago Grill restaurant on Saturday, April 27. Let the restaurant know you are with the Amputee Coalition, and Uno’s will donate up to 20 percent of the bill to the Coalition. The funds raised from WillowWood and Uno’s will go to support the Amputee Coalition’s peer support program, the National Limb Loss Resource Center, and outreach activities.
