+++OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE+++
From GB Communications, Vancouver, BC, Canada
CANADA LEADS THE WAY IN WORLD AMPUTEE ISSUES
Tuesday, December 9, 1997
VANCOUVER — Hot on the heels of the historic mine treaty signing in
Ottawa, Canada once again leads the way in World Amputee issues.
It is with great pleasure that GB Communications announces the “Teresa R.
Martin WEB Site”.
Teresa Martin is a hemipelvectomy amputee from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
About two years ago Teresa was diagnosed with cancer, her left hip was
removed as well as several of the lower vertebrae in order to stop the
cancer from spreading.
For most amputees such a high level of amputation (hemipelvectomy) would
result in use of a wheelchair and/or crutches for mobility.
However, Teresa opted for a prosthetic solution, however she was unable to
find such a solution anywhere in Ontario.
Surfing the net one night she found the Virtual Prosthetist’s WEB Page
(http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/virtpros.html). Tony van der Waarde
specialises in Teresa’s level of amputation, ironically with technology
that was originally developed (and forgotten) in Ontario.
Teresa linked up with Tony and arranged to fly in from Toronto to Tony’s
facility in Burnaby, British Columbia. However the Ontario Provincial
Government refused to pay for Teresa’s new prosthesis claiming it, a. could
be made in Ontario and b. Ontario does not pay for out-of-province medical
costs.
The total bill for the prosthesis alone came to $14,000, this does not
include hotel and flight costs. Teresa still needs help in this regard.
Teresa is now walking comfortably with the aid of crutches and should be
able to walk unaided in the very near future.
Teresa recently visited Tony again and was interviewed by BCTV’s Linda
Aylesworth, the interview was eventually carried coast to coast to coast on
the new CTV News Channel.
In creating a WEB Page of her own Teresa hopes to highlight the ineptitude
of the Ontario Governments’ bureacratic mentality and to show other
hemipelvectomy amputees IT CAN BE DONE!
Please feel free to check out Teresa’s WEB Site at
http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/teresam/html
Teresa Martin can be contacted directly at mailto:[email protected]
Tony van der Waarde can be reached at mailto:[email protected]
GB COMMUNICATIONS is a British Columbia based company whose owner Ian
Gregson moderates the St. Johns “Amputee Listserv” mailing list based out
of St. Johns University in New York; manages the “Amputee WEB Site” and
publishes “Amputation Online” magazine based in Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada.
These three amputee oriented internet media were the first of their kind
available.
The Amputee list was started in September 1994 connects 250 amputees,
medical professionals and family members from 25 nations together.
The Amputee WEB Site was started in September 1995 has had over 38,000
visitors.
http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/amputee.html
The Amputation Online magazine was started in June 1996 and has had over
26,000 readers.
http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/ampute.html
Ian Gregson has been an above knee amputee since 1978.
For more information contact:
GB Communications
56-3550 Adanac Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V5K 4Y6
Voice/Fax: 604.320.1914 (call 1st before faxing)
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.portal.ca/~igregson/gb.html
Ian Gregson ([email protected])
Amputee WEB Site <> AMPUTATION Online Magazine
www.portal.ca/~igregson/index.html
Moderator Amputee & D-Sport Listservs
