Last year, as you may recall, we served up some Believe It or Not tales of lost-and-found prosthetic devices. Here’s another one for that file, verifiably true and undeniably strange. It features Augustana College baseball player Parker Hanson, a limb-different hurler who also pitches for the LS Warriors all-amputee team. Somebody broke into his truck last week and stole his backpack, which just happened to contain his prosthetic arm and its attachment hardware. The story made national news, and the backpack was anonymously returned—sans arm. Without getting into all the details (you can get caught up on them here), the prosthesis finally turned up at a nearby recycling center, half-buried in a giant bin of plastic renewables. A couple of heads-up employees recognized the missing device and fetched it out. It’s too banged up to be useful, but Hanson’s getting a free replacement from a Minneapolis hospital. All the money that was raised in the interim to fund a new arm will instead go to charity, underwriting prosthetic tech for others with limb difference. “If I can help impact some kid’s life for a positive, then that’s what I’ll take out of this whole experience,” Hanson says.
To the rest of the news:
If you’re not a fan of mortgage-themed podcasts—and if not, that’s your loss—then you probably missed the worthy advice shared by Arizona amputee Tom Mancuso on a recent episode of Broker to Broker. “Use your network,” he counsels—and he means the whole network, including prosthetists, doctors, family members, neighbors, and fellow amputees.
From the melt-your-heart dept.: When a Minnesota breeder discovered a newly born golden retriever puppy with one missing paw, she went out of her way to place the pooch with a family that included a limb-different kid. The lucky recipient, seven-year-old Paxton Williams, has made fast friends with his new pup.
Amputee cyclists of the West, time to saddle up. The Kirstie Ennis Foundation is taking applications for its first-ever Amputee Mountain Biking Clinic, to be held July 14-18 near Glenwood Springs, CO. Details at the TKEF Facebook page.
Amputee cyclists of the East, don’t feel left out. The DC Amputee Cycling Clinic is holding its next event on June 27. Build your confidence, get some exercise, and join a community of fellow amputees that’s supported by bike mechanics, prosthetists, and physical therapists.
Our new favorite amputee R&B artist, Darryl Johnson, will take to the stage this weekend for his first live performance as an amputee at the 35th Annual Carolina Blues Festival. Tickets and live-stream info at this link. BTW, check out Johnson’s smokin’ cover of “Shop Around” at his Reverb Nation page.
Can’t get to the prosthetist easily? If you’re served by the VA, maybe the prosthetist can get to you via the organization’s new Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Care program. The service was piloted in the Seattle area but is now going nationwide.
These disputes over disabled parking spots are getting out of hand. A 27-year-old amputee near Vancouver was berated and spat upon by a belligerent a**hole who thought she was hogging a space reserved for people with real disabilities.