Steve Martinez: “A Thriver, Not a Survivor”

On a routine February morning in 2010, Steve Martinez, a store manager of a Dillons supermarket in Wichita, Kansas, and his wife of more than 20 years, who is also employed there, began their 60-mile commute to work. During the ride, Martinez began to feel what he describes as painful chills. The chills subsided after about five minutes, but Martinez says that upon arriving at work the chills returned, only more severe this time. His wife drove him to the nearby hospital. Martinez was soon rushed to the emergency room, where he fell into a coma. After he awoke 14 days later, Martinez was told that he had suffered a near-fatal E. coli infection that caused his resulting fever to peak at 107 degrees. His legs, hands, ears, and nose had blackened "like charcoal," he says, from a lack of circulation, and once his organs began shutting down, he was placed on life support with kidney dialysis. On the third day, physicians told his wife that he would not survive the night. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300"] The X-Fingers enabled Martinez to regain the ability to type, which he says was part of "getting back to myself." Photographs courtesy of Hanger Clinic.[/caption] Martinez says he was told later that his wife and daughter were present as nurses began disconnecting the tubes that were delivering his antibiotics and other life support that night. According to witness accounts, a man with a white beard and wearing a lab coat entered the room, spoke to the nurses, reviewed Martinez's chart, and ordered the medical staff to reconnect Martinez to the life support system. The nurses complied, and the man left the room. Martinez's vital signs steadily increased over the next seven days, and his organs regained function. He says he and the hospital's administrative services have been unable to find any record of the presumed physician who had intervened on Martinez's behalf. Martinez says this story has empowered him and that he received "a second chance" at life. Despite the recovery of his organs, the sustained loss of circulation in his extremities necessitated bilateral transtibial amputations and four partial-finger amputations-three on his right hand and one on his left. As soon as he was able, he began working with Mike Lukens, CP, at Hanger Clinic's East Hillside, Kansas, patient care facility, Wichita, to gain mobility on his transtibial prostheses. Lukens, along with his brother-in-law Ken Schuldt, CPO, provided Martinez's prosthetic care until Lukens passed away from prostate cancer last November. Martinez took charge of his recovery from the beginning. He committed himself to physical therapy and exercise seven days a week. He describes his early experience in adapting to his prostheses as "the biggest challenge of my life." True to his description of himself as "a thriver, not a survivor," it wouldn't be the last time Martinez would take such a proactive role in his own prosthetic care. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="275"] Martinez demonstrates his dexterity with the X-Fingers as he grasps a cup.[/caption] Martinez returned to work at the store five months after his hospitalization. While he was adapting to his prosthetic legs, the partial-finger amputations were affecting his work because he was unable to type on a keyboard effectively. He tried using dictation software in lieu of typing, but he says this didn't allow him enough productivity. That's when he began researching partial-finger prostheses. "I said, 'what is going to be the best thing for me at this point of my life?' and I went out and got it." That research lead Martinez to the X-Finger system by Didrick Medical, Naples, Florida, which is an active-function partial-finger prosthesis controlled by the flexion and extension of the user's remaining fingers; it contains no motor or electronics. Martinez and his prosthetist contacted Didrick Medical for fabrication of his X-Fingers, and Martinez tested builds for nearly three years. This past February he was finally fitted with the version he uses today, which restores the function of his right middle and index fingers and his left index finger. Although his right thumb was also partially amputated, the current version of the X-Finger does not address thumb functionality. The company reports this feature is in the development stages. When Martinez donned the X-Fingers, he grasped a water bottle and was able to type on a keyboard for the first time since his illness. "It was heartwarming to all of us," Schuldt says. "[Martinez] was very, very proud and said, 'I'm back to myself again.'" Being able to flex the X-Finger depends on amputation level, so it is effective for patients like Martinez who can still achieve a certain range of motion in their residual finger, Schuldt says. This version of the system is also field-adjustable by tightening or loosening screws to alter flexion and extension; prosthetists can make these adjustments independently. Earlier versions did not offer the field adjustability, so Martinez says he waited until this feature was developed before committing to the device. Martinez has not had to return to the Hanger facility for adjustments to his prosthetic fingers since the February fitting. X-Fingers can also be covered with silicone sheaths for aesthetic reproduction. "Aesthetics are not important to me," Martinez says; he kept the sheathing but trimmed it to only cover the fingertips to make them more tactile. He says this improves his typing since the fingers do not slip on the keys as much. Martinez remains proactive in his care by maintaining contact with his prosthetist and researching prosthetic components online. "He's very persistent," Schuldt says. "He challenges us in a good way to make sure we can get the most appropriate prosthetic devices on him." Martinez says he often calls or writes to manufacturers directly for information on their offerings to ensure that he keeps current on the latest technology available. He encourages other prosthetic patients to become better informed of the technology available to them. "How do we get that message across to [amputees]?" he asks. "That's why I...[agreed to be] on television. I showed them my fingers, how I walk on my legs...." In 2011, after Martinez had appeared on a local news program for participating in a 5K run, a Dillons' customer recognized him and shared the story about her son who had lost his right leg in Iraq. She told Martinez that her son was inspired to become active and reclaim his social life after seeing Martinez's story. Martinez visits amputees at hospitals, and he also speaks at Catholic churches and organizations weekly. Since his recovery, Martinez has become more active in his faith. He says that before his injury, his commitment was attending Mass every Sunday, but "now it's 24/7. And I thank God for everything I am." Martinez continues to seize control of his own destiny- as well as the occasional water bottle.

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Steve Martinez: “A Thriver, Not a Survivor”

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Related posts:

AFOs Improve Balance Confidence in Poststroke Hemiplegia Patients

NAAOP Releases Webcast: “Death by a Thousand Cuts”

NAAOP Releases Webcast: “Death by a Thousand Cuts”

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