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AMPUTATION ONLINE MAGAZINE
JULY 1998 VOL 3 NUMBER 4
The WEB Version of this publication can be seen at
http://www.amputee-online.com/amputation
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This edition of Amputation Online magazine is sponsored by
* SEATTLE LIMB SYSTEMS – http://www.m-ind.com/
* OANDP ONLINE – http://www.oandp.com
* ADVANCED PROSTHETICS – http://members.aol.com/AdvProsth/
* FARABLOC Phantom Pain Relief – http://www.farabloc.com
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POV July 1998
Since returning from the ACA conference in Chicago the Gregson house and
adjoining GB Communications office has been the scenes of many late nights
and early mornings.
On arrival back in Vancouver, I passed my wife Sharon and eldest son Nick
on their way to England for two weeks stay with in-laws. Our other three
children were my responsibility, as was getting this online magazine out
and getting the new domain name amputee-online.com up and running.
The pressure was on! To get a new domain going, a magazine online and watch
England in the world cup and oh yes looking after three young Gregson’s was
a feat of pure ingenuity, if I may toot my own horn for a second.
This edition of Amputation features some interesting news from South
Western Africa via Operation ZZAM. No one ever believes me when I tell
people I lost my leg when a crocodile that crept up to bath pipe and stole
my leg when I went to empty the bath. But the main inspiration behind
Operation ZZAM Paul Templar had his removed by a Hippopotamus. Paul is
attempting to re-conquer the Zambesi river to help the many amputees in the
area.
The Amputee Coalition of America conference continues to show everyone that
a mass gathering of amps is one of the most effective ways to inspire the
amputee population of North America. Next year’s event is in Reno, plan to
be there and start saving now.
The Amputee-Online.com domain represents over four years of work
establishing an online web presence. Now this magazine, the Amputee WEB
Site and other amputee online resource are all under the same domain name.
This creates one of the most concise amputee-oriented areas on the web
today. Take a wonder through, you might see something of interest.
When I arrived back in Vancouver from Chicago, I told myself if I can
survive this I can survive practically anything. Well, I did survive,
however England did not England got knocked out of the World Cup by
Argentina on penalties.
Whew! What a hectic two weeks!
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PERSONAL DIARY
Ian Gregson
ACA Conference June 12-15, 1998
The Amputee Coalition of America Conference proved once again that putting
three hundred amputees together in the same hotel is a pretty good idea.
Day One June 11
Travel: Almost everyone was delayed in arrival by air due to a significant
thunderstorm that lodged over the Chicago area for the day. I arrived on
the “red-eye” from Reno at 5am. I spent the first half of the day in the
lobby of the Holiday Inn waiting for a room. I was awoken by Al Pike at one
point from then on we waited in tandem.
By about 5pm just about everyone had arrived and the presence from the
amputee listserv was significant. Pat from Portage, Indiana had us all
scheduled for a BBQ at her place. The road trip to Portage was significant
as it was my first experience in Chicago traffic. The 90 minute trek also
got one vehicle lost, they eventually turned up.
The food at Pat’s BBQ was incredible. Those that had met before caught up
on various issues and we started to put faces to online names and
personalities. The bbq was a great kick-off to what would be an incredible
weekend of learning and just having fun.
Day Two June 12
Registration got started at about 9am and we started to meet the folks that
had missed the bbq. The opening event was fairly low-key with speeches by
ACA President Patty Rossbach and a speech from Paralympian Al Mead. The
latter created a somewhat mixed reaction, proving that what inspires some
does not for others.
Sessions started immediately after the opening. I attended the Town Hall
meeting for Support Group Leaders hosted by Georgie Maxfield. This session
gave opportunity for the support group operators to voice the experiences
and learn from each others mistakes.
I also tried my hand at rollerblading with Casey Pieretti. As it was my
first time I was a little nervous, just glad the carpet was soft and the
pads and guards worked well! Ideally I would liked to have seen another AK
to see how they skated. Many of the BK’s seemed to pick it up quickly.
The evening featured entertainment, the highlight of which was George
Valasquez’ tap dancing in the roaring 20’s theme. George has an incredible
outlook on life and he expresses himself perfectly through his dancing.
Day Three June 13
Promised to the busiest day for everyone. The exhibits opened and I shared
a table with Al Pike and Tony van der Waarde, getting set up was the main
order of the morning. The exhibits opened at 10am and the amputees present
caught up with the latest technologies.
Not only does the exhibits give the amps a chance to see new stuff but also
for enterprising amps like myself to meet up with many people I have dealt
with on a professional basis over the last two years. I also used the fact
that so many progressively minded exhibitors were in one place at the same
time.
After dinner the exhibits continued and I ran out of brochures and business
cards.
I also had a role to play with Kath Duncan’s Australian TV crew. I acted as
tour guide and pointed out significant developments in prosthetics. After
an hour or so of filming Kath Duncan, Steve Kurzman and I found a quiet
sport for an interview, which basically turned in to a two on one on why
Ian Gregson didn’t like “devotees” too much.
Saturday evening numerous folks from the St. Johns List made good on their
open invitation to attend the Fascination dance being held at the Ramada.
Fascination is a “social” group formed by double BK Bette Hagluund in
Chicago some thirty years ago.
It was with some trepidation that about twenty of us made the trek to the
Ramada. Our trepidation was confirmed as several list members went in
advance and felt completely set on as the walked in, they left even before
we arrived.
The Fascination meeting seemed to be attended by well dressed men over the
age of 50 and numerous ladies of different ages. A number of the devotees
had already made their presence felt at the ACA’s Holiday Inn. Peter
Schlegar had once again approached several women, proving once again his
lack of social skills matched his audacity in believing that women might
actually be attracted to him. Others such as Mike Freeman simply hung
around the Holiday Inn, skulking in the back ground, hoping not to be
noticed and failing. The devotee presence at the ACA was higher than in
1996, presumably since the Fascination meeting was scheduled at the same
time.
Organiser Bette Hagluund seemed to be a genuinely talented woman whose
superior social skills seemed out of place with Fascination group. However,
she is dedicated to bringing amputees and those who are sexually stimulated
by them together. I felt however that Bette could have also utilised her
skills more effectively around the ACA.
We were also entertained at the Ramada by the science fiction convention in
progress at the same time. Some of those prosthetic parts matched our own
in quality and workmanship!
On returning to the Holiday Inn some chose to call it a night and some
headed off to the hotel night club to party until the early hours.
Day Four June 14
My prosthetist claims I can and should walk better, so in attending the
Gait Analysis Clinic, I was hoping to solve some problems. After a few
minutes of video taping and chat the problem was solved. All I have to do
now is remember!
I also attended Bob Gailey’s “Functional Assessment evaluation”. This is an
university study to give professionals some standards on how to assess
functional ability for insurance and medicare coverage purposes.
The golf class was well attended. Golf is by far the most popular
recreational sport for amputees, with thousands of players in North
America. Dan Cox’s expert instruction got everyone clued in to the
attraction of the sport.
Sunday afternoon caught a van load of amputees heading off to downtown
Chicago to try and find the Museum of Science and Industry. After skirting
around downtown to find the entrance to Lakeshore Drive, we finally made it
to the destination.
Of all the peculiar coincidences I ran in to Paralympic athlete and double
AK Kris Lenzo in the museum. I had not seen Kris since 1984, turns out he
had never heard of the ACA, a reminder of the work yet to be done.
On the way back to the freeway we got lost in the south side of Chicago,
which was a little scary. Burned out apartments and gangs of youths hanging
around corners reminded us there are people far worse off than us and that
skin colour and employability can be a bigger handicap than any amputation.
By the time we got back to the Holiday Inn it was time for our final dinner
and a few good byes. It almost felt as if we didn’t really have to say good
bye to other list members, since we would be chatting via e-mail for the
rest of the year.
What was significantly noticeable was the number of listmembers who
attended the meeting
Bruce Jaster
Arthur Jones
Ralph Fowler
Sandy & Rich Friend
Kathy Spozio
Kati Rooney
Stacey Asby
Catherine Barrette
Lee & Charlene Myles
Tony van der Waarde
Al Pike
Ted Trower
George Uzymirski
Ian Gregson
James Stewart
Siw Schalin
Rick and Joni van Dyke
Ed Jeffries
Patty Johnson
Steve Kurzman
Todd Cignetti
Aleksander Zworski
Willow Leenders
Carol S. Wallace
Michael Dodd
Art Yeomans
Monet Perry
Ann Zschau
Cynthia & Don Black
Ron Farquharson
Glenn Betts
This represents a large increase over the dozen or so subscribers that
attended the 1996 event in Atlanta.
MENDING FENCES AND FIXING GATES
JAMES F.L. STEWART
Over all, I enjoyed my self immensely. As I’m still nursing a mending break
in my (meat) leg I was chair bound but was not about to let the chance to
attend slip by. This is the first such conference I’ve been able to attend
so I have no previous ones with which to compare, however I’ve attended
many business functions and have a pretty good feel for the organizational
aspects to expect.
I think the ACA itself did a fine job in preparing for the wide range of
amps who would attend with brochures, a daily planner, name badges and meal
& snack tickets, however the hotel was sadly lacking in amp-friendly
facilities. Most places were accessible with the exception of the 50’s
style nightclub where there was a step to get in. Personally I had no
problem but those chair bound and with limited upper body strength needed
help. Handicap parking was reported to be in short supply. The elevators to
the rooms let us out at lower-than-lobby level and we were faced with
either a very long and steep ramp or many stairs to climb. shower chairs
had been ordered bit there were those I spoke with who were told that there
were not enough to go around and that, if they wished they could use a
chair from another’s room after they had finished with it! Not acceptable.
Escalators which would have greatly increased access to the lower levels
were out of order. These items should have been addressed more seriously by
the hotel management and rectified. They certainly knew we were coming if
not in such droves.
Clinics and presentations:
I was generally pleased with most clinics I attended. The speakers were
knowledgeable and current with their subject matter. As with any such
gathering, there were high points and disappointments. For me one of the
most impressive clinics was on Friday titled “Posture, Image and
self-Esteem, hosted by our own tireless George Valazquez and fitness
trainer Tom Ellison from Florida. This was one of the most dramatic
demonstrations of how simply altering balance and self-perception can
improve not only one’s gait but also your whole attitude. At one point Tom
had picked out an audience member who stated that he was the same height as
Tom himself even though it was clear when they stood back to back that Tom
was a full three inches taller. By couching the “victim” to raise his chin,
straighten his arms and place his feet, Tom had his whole posture change.
This time, as they stood back to back again they were the same height.
Simple yet common sense tips such as when turning around, turn the head
first then follow with the shoulders and frame were demonstrated with
clarity. A most impressive clinic!
On the flip side, I was left frustrated and angry after attending an event
on Saturday titled “Diabetes – Resolving problems through self care”. As
the panel appeared to have some well qualified people on it I was very keen
on exploring what new developments were in the works for the diabetic, as
well as finding out why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) was involved
when the Diabetic Society already has established itself in this area. We
had been warned that the session was going to be taped and to expect some
delays, however this turned out to be an understatement. As the clinic
began late and there was limited time before the next event I felt rushed
and pressured to “listen and leave”. In a general meeting on such a topic
it is necessary to speak to the level of the crowd but here I felt as if we
were in “Diabetes 101” and not intelligent, aware consumers. All speakers
breezed through their prepared speeches in a rush, even skipping many
frames of their overhead projections. The MD with the CDC began by asking
if we had any questions – at last – a chance for some dialogue! Four
intelligent questions were brought up ranging from the new Humulog insulin
to how better to automate the delivery of insulin by having blood sugar
testing done automatically by computer chip, to what is the role of the CDC
in diabetes. My feel was that all questions were glossed over and none were
answered frankly. I was left feeling frustrated, angry and belittled.
I anger very slowly but I was seething when I left this seminar.
Entertainment:
As this has been alluded to by both Ian and Stacey, I’ll risk imprisonment
by adding my comments. My personal take was that the entertainment was not
appropriate to the event. A high school marching band would have been more
enjoyable. The comedienne was crass and drew only a few laughs from
selected tables and most “jokes” seemed to have been aimed at insider
information that passed right over the heads of the majority. The sound was
atrocious which as it turned out was a blessing in disguise. One of the
“entertainers” was a gentleman who had a facial deformity. I have been
privileged to see many disabled comedy acts ranging from sight to hearing
impairments. They all had one thing in common – they were funny. They made
use of their disability to lighten the subject and “entertain”. This was
neither light nor humorous but felt like more personal therapy than
anything else. Only this writer’s opinion.
Interaction & Exhibits:
This is where the whole weekend shone. People from all over the globe had
the chance to meet with others and compare their circumstances. Faces which
until now had been only photographs in magazines or e-mail addresses were
now flesh and blood and I wasn’t disappointed in a single encounter! people
came up to me, mentioned that they enjoyed my web site and shook my hand.
This is just why we do the things we do – to help others. No monetary gain,
simply the satisfaction of knowing this information is getting spread
around. Instead of being a single amp in a shopping mall, here WE were the
norm and as such did not get stared at or singled out but instead had a
great chance to make new friends and share stories.
Al, Ted, Ed, Tony and the rest are as real as the next person, each with
their unique sense of humor and insight. We even learned Beck Bruce has a
goat for a pet! Call Hard Copy!
Everyone at the exhibits seemed eager not just to promote their products
but to help in any way they could and on more than one occasion I overheard
someone suggesting that one of us look at a competitor’s product because it
may be more suitable for us.
Bottom line is that I was impressed with the amount of work that went into
this event and on the whole with its success. I certainly would have no
reservations in urging anyone who can to attend.
James
James F.L. Stewart
Burlington, Ontario
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ON THE SET – “WRONGFULLY ACCUSED” starring Leslie Nielsen and Richard Crenna
This coming August sees the release of Leslie Nielsen’s new movie
“Wrongfully Accused”.
Although the movie is not liable to earn itself an Oscar, “Wrongfully
Accused” is a must for those who found the “Airplane” series and Leslie
Nielsen’s Naked Gun series entertaining.
For amputee’s Wrongfully Accused’s spoof of “The Fugitive” will give
indication that amputee humour is employed throughout the show. You may
recall Harrison Ford being pursued in the Fugitive by a one-armed assassin.
True to the Airplane over-the-top genre, Wrongfully Accused’s amputee
assassin has a leg missing, an arm missing and is minus an eye!
Although Wrongfully Accused’s amputee portrayal is hardly an accurate
statement of the true amputee lifestyle, some of the humour involved will
make amputee’s laugh. Looks for the scenes in the Prosthetic facility
“Limbs r’ Us”!
Another scene of note is the fight between Leslie Nielsen’s character Ryan
Harrison and assassin Sean Laughrea played by Vancouver actor Aaron Pearl.
The fight scene includes an amputee stunt double played by Ian Gregson. A
real amputee was needed for the scene in which Harrison wrestles with
Laughrea and at one point Harrison grabs a foot only to have it come away
in his hands. In the darkened confusion Laughrea mistakenly attaches his
foot where the arm is supposed to be and vice-versa.
Shooting the amputee fight scene took four days on location in West
Vancouver, British Columbia. The preparation for which took considerably
longer via the special FX department at Northwestern FX in Vancouver. The
process involved creating a prosthetic limb that had no function
whatsoever, this limb was the limb that ended up in the hands of Ryan
Harrison during the fight scene.
Inevitable last minute changes were made on location and a prosthetic leg
that had a hand instead of a foot was used by actor Aaron Pearl. The hand
was created by Northwestern FX and was adapted for prosthetic use by Award
Prosthetics of Burnaby, BC.
Wrongfully Accused releases August 7th across North America. The movie also
stars Kelly LeBrock(Woman in Red, Weird Science), Richard Crenna (Rambo
series) and Melinda McGraw (X-Files)
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OPERATION ZZAM
On May 15, 1998 – nine men from around the world began a 1,600 mile journey
kayaking down the mighty Zambezi River through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola,
and Mozambique. The ZZAM Expedition is the public awareness phase of the
project called “Make-A-Difference”, whose mission is to increase awareness
of the devastation caused by landmines in Africa and to address the needs
of amputees in Africa.
Two years ago he lost his arm and nearly his life to an attacking
hippopotamus on the Zambezi river in Africa. Now Paul Templer is returning
to conquer the Zambezi with one arm – with a goal of helping to restore the
lives of other amputees in south-central Africa. “I used to take a lot of
things for granted” said Templer. “Now every new day is exciting. I was
given a second chance, and now I want to make a difference with it.”
Templer, a 29 year-old native of Zimbabwe understands firsthand the
difficulties faced by amputees in towns and villages along the Zambezi and
elsewhere in Africa. In 1996, as he led a party of tourists canoeing down
the river near Victoria Falls, a rogue hippopotamus attacked one of the
watercraft. While attempting to rescue another member of the group, Templer
was attacked . He suffered 38 puncture wounds to his head, chest, arms and
leg before the hippo released him.
The challenge of daily life after the incident made Templer aware of the
even greater plight of the thousands of amputees in Africa. Most are
victims of land mines, the remnants of decades of civil war.In Angola
alone, estimates of land mines still buried from the nation’s civil war
range as high as 10 million. More than 6,000 Angolans suffer injuries each
year as a result of inadvertently detonating these mines.
The majority of victims are civilians, who lose their ability to be
productive members of society when they lose their limbs to mines.
according to projections, Africa can expect continued loss of life, limbs,
and livelihood from landmine injuries for the next 100 years without
another mine being planted.
“I can’t think of anything I can’t do, even without my left arm,” said
Templer. “But for a farmer in Angola who lost a leg because of a land mine,
he’s going to lose his livelihood as well.”
While in the Detroit area, Templer met and shared some of his ideas with
retired Farmington businessman David Williams. As a result, Templer and
Williams formed “Make-A-Difference”, sponsor of the ZZAM Expedition, in
1997.
“This project is really about working together as a team, about people
helping people,” said Williams, who is a former vice president and co-owner
of H.R. Kreuger, a machine tool manufacturer. “When Paul and I first met,
we talked about this idea, and I asked myself . . . ‘Can you make this
happen?’ and and my answer to that was ‘Yes.’ Then I asked myself, ‘Can you
just walk away?’ Obviously the answer to that was ‘No”.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
1998
August7-8, 1998
Total Environment ControlCourse, Level II, TEC
Interface Systems, Waite Park, MN.Contact: Sarah Keefauver, (800)
688-4832.
September 15-19, 1998 American Orthotic and Prosthetic
Association (AOPA) National Assembly, Hyatt Regency,Chicago, Chicago,
IL. Contact: Annette Suriani, (7l3) 836-7ll6.Saturday & Sunday,
October 3-4, 1998 ….Orthotic and Prosthetic Exam Preparation Seminar.
For registration information, contact Pittsburgh Institute of Technology,
(888)748-8324.
October 16-17, 1998 Total Environment ControlCourse, Level
II, TEC Interface Systems, Waite Park, MN.Contact: Sarah Keefauver,
(800) 688-4832.
November 13- 14, 1998Total Environment Control Course,
Level III, TEC Interface Systems, Waite Park, MN.Contact: Sarah
Keefauver, (800) 688-4832.
1999
JUNE 25-30
Amputee Coalition of America Conference
Reno, Nevada
Contact 1 800 AMP-KNOW
October 5-9:AOPA Annual Assembly. Reno
Hilton, Reno. Contact: Annette Suriani, (703) 836-7118.
2000
October 3-7:
AOPA Annual Assembly. Sheraton Washington, Washington, D.C. Contact
Annette Suriani, (703) 836-7118.
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AMPUTATION ONLINE MAGAZINE is published six times per year by
GB Communications
56-3550 Adanac Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V5K 4Y6
Voice/Fax: 604.320.1914 (call 1st before faxing)
email: mailto:[email protected]
web: http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/gb.html
Copyright 1998 GB Communications
Reproductions granted as long as original author and source are indicated.
Next issue due out Sept 1, 1998
Ian Gregson ([email protected])
Amputee WEB Site <> AMPUTATION Online Magazine
http://www.amputee-online.com
Moderator Amputee & D-Sport Listservs
