A Tale of Two Prostheses

Prosthetics are amazing. Aimee Mullins and Oscar Pistorius are living examples of how a disability can become an opportunity not just for success, but for super-human ability.

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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  02/23  at  03:35 PM

Hello Kyle,

Carrie Davis here. Interesting piece – though I’m not a wealthy socialite that mingles in high society, gets noticed and comes off as superior. It may have seemed like that from the article in Fast Company Magazine, but let me assure you, I'm an average girl who has dedicated my life to helping others who have lost limbs. My “Tiffany Ring” is a $10.00 sparkly gem on an elastic, stretchy band. The seemingly ridiculous attitude that I have regarding my prosthesis as a positive, beautiful aspect of myself is not ridiculous at all. In fact, it took me many years to get to a point where I was proud of the body that I came in, prosthesis and all.

Therefore, like I said, I have dedicated my whole life to helping others. I am a National Patient Advocate for Upper Extremity Patients seeking assistance. I have worked with kids, families, adults, soldiers, etc. to help them accept their bodies and work effectively with their prostheses. I write letters to insurance companies to help patients get funding for prostheses and once they receive them, I'm there every step of the way to offer moral support and guidance. When insurance doesn't come through, I work to help try to find a way.

I also volunteer at a camp called Camp No Limits - a camp for kids with limb deficiencies. My goal is to catch kids before they decide their self-image based on their body image or what they don't have versus the gifts, talents and heart that they do have. I'd invite you to check out the foundation www.nolimitfoundation.org. That "ridiculous positive attitude" and sense of pride in my body is one that I hope kids also grab on to, as well.

I'm also the National Coordinator for a volunteer organization called Amputee Empowerment Partners; a group of over 500 trained volunteers nationwide who also want to assist new amputees navigate the road to recovery. We just started a very unique e-community online specifically geared toward helping others.

My "bag of arms" has been compiled over 20+ years. I have an i-LIMB, yes, which I do think is pretty special, but I also have a cable operated hook that I wear regularly, as well. Do people perceive me differently when they see the hook hanging out of my sleeve versus the hand? Yes. Do I care? Not so much.

What I do care about is that people see me for who I am and what I'm about versus what I'm missing. The black i-LIMB starts conversations. The hook repels them. When I catch people staring at my hook, I invite a conversation, "Hey, I saw you were looking at my hook - do you have any questions? Would you like to know more about it?" Whether I want the attention or not, I get it and so I use it to benefit others, hopefully.

I thank you for noting that we are all working to improve the lives and well-being for those with the need for prostheses. It truly is my mission in life. I'm not a wealthy socialite. I'm a single mom to two amazing sons, living in a modest home, moving through life the best I can, hoping I can help people along the way.

My prosthesis and its price tag have very little to do with me. However, having access to all kinds of prostheses has allowed me to accomplish anything that I have set my sights on. Thanks to my prostheses and the great prosthetists that I have had the good fortune to work with in my life, I am able to do anything I want. I've always said that if you don't have a hand, you don't have an excuse, because there is a prosthesis or a terminal device that will allow me to do anything I can set my mind to - even, as one commenter wondered – scratch my...

Cheers Kyle.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  02/24  at  03:30 PM

Carrie, I am so glad you found this post and set the record straight. We spoke via email, but I'd like to apologize publicly as well for my errors in the post. Your story is far more interesting than that Fast Company article, let alone what I wrote. I hope you write a post or two for IEET. Lord knows we need some people who live in the real world to remind us why we're writing about all this transhumanist stuff in the first place. Thanks so much for commenting, I can't wait read more from you.

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