Amanda Throws Away the Wheelchair!
Donation protected
Hello family and friends. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!!
Being a quadruple amputee is hard enough but in my case I am also above the knee on both legs. Because I am missing my knees the struggle to walk has been long these past 2 years. When I initially learned about my amputations everyone was encouraging me about how many amputees are up and walking. Unfortunately, I've learned through experience that being bilateral above knee puts me in a special category of hard road to recovery versus those still left with knees. The first year I struggled to get my insurance to approve coverage for microprocessor knees (a must for a bilateral above knee) and finally once that came through I realized that because I had been in a wheelchair for so long my hip flexors had become stuck in the sitting position. Now that I finally am able to stand semi straight again without losing my balance it's time to learn how to use the microprocessor knees (ottobock c-legs). The problem is that it's no walk in the park (ha ha literally)!!
My prosthetic company, Hanger, holds an annual event exclusively for bilateral above knee amputees. Apparently, amputees that have been in wheelchairs for years throwaway the wheelchair and come out completely commited to walking full time after attending this event. Click on this link to hear the story of one woman who had been in a wheelchair for nine years and given up hope of ever walking. Then she attended Hanger's Boot Camp in 2015 and walked away from her wheelchair two months later:
https://www.facebook.com/HangerNews/videos/10154847200590731/
This year is my year to throw away my wheelchair, but I need help funding a trip to Oklahoma City where it will be held this year. Get this... the event starts on April 5th which just happens to be my 36th birthday. Coincidence? I think not!!! If you are able to help the funds will go towards my flight, hotel, car rental which is much pricier than I had anticipated. If you can't help love and prayers will work too as I'll need all the encouragement I can get (it's not called Bootcamp by accident).
Lastly, I have included a video of me at physical therapy a few weeks without any knees. In my head I envisioned myself looking so much more graceful, lol! Unfortunately, all I could think of is that I looked like an overweight drunk flamingo!!! Please help me make walking look better than this and learn to use knees!! Plus, getting up and walking again will help me drop this extra freshmen pounds I picked up these past 2 years (it definitely slows me down).
https://youtu.be/DR8TxLVyHWA
Thank you for reading and cheering me on.
Mark your calendars because I'm also getting ready for the 3rd annual amputee awareness 5k. It's April 22nd at Wootton high school in Rockville, Maryland. All are welcome to come including kids. Link below (that's me last year on the link; I'm famous!!! Lol).
https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/health/calendar/details/?eventId=d6cd6c1a-5ea1-e611-9519-2c768a4e1b84#.WKtpL5E8Kf0
Thank you again!!!! xxxooo
Being a quadruple amputee is hard enough but in my case I am also above the knee on both legs. Because I am missing my knees the struggle to walk has been long these past 2 years. When I initially learned about my amputations everyone was encouraging me about how many amputees are up and walking. Unfortunately, I've learned through experience that being bilateral above knee puts me in a special category of hard road to recovery versus those still left with knees. The first year I struggled to get my insurance to approve coverage for microprocessor knees (a must for a bilateral above knee) and finally once that came through I realized that because I had been in a wheelchair for so long my hip flexors had become stuck in the sitting position. Now that I finally am able to stand semi straight again without losing my balance it's time to learn how to use the microprocessor knees (ottobock c-legs). The problem is that it's no walk in the park (ha ha literally)!!
My prosthetic company, Hanger, holds an annual event exclusively for bilateral above knee amputees. Apparently, amputees that have been in wheelchairs for years throwaway the wheelchair and come out completely commited to walking full time after attending this event. Click on this link to hear the story of one woman who had been in a wheelchair for nine years and given up hope of ever walking. Then she attended Hanger's Boot Camp in 2015 and walked away from her wheelchair two months later:
https://www.facebook.com/HangerNews/videos/10154847200590731/
This year is my year to throw away my wheelchair, but I need help funding a trip to Oklahoma City where it will be held this year. Get this... the event starts on April 5th which just happens to be my 36th birthday. Coincidence? I think not!!! If you are able to help the funds will go towards my flight, hotel, car rental which is much pricier than I had anticipated. If you can't help love and prayers will work too as I'll need all the encouragement I can get (it's not called Bootcamp by accident).
Lastly, I have included a video of me at physical therapy a few weeks without any knees. In my head I envisioned myself looking so much more graceful, lol! Unfortunately, all I could think of is that I looked like an overweight drunk flamingo!!! Please help me make walking look better than this and learn to use knees!! Plus, getting up and walking again will help me drop this extra freshmen pounds I picked up these past 2 years (it definitely slows me down).
https://youtu.be/DR8TxLVyHWA
Thank you for reading and cheering me on.
Mark your calendars because I'm also getting ready for the 3rd annual amputee awareness 5k. It's April 22nd at Wootton high school in Rockville, Maryland. All are welcome to come including kids. Link below (that's me last year on the link; I'm famous!!! Lol).
https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/health/calendar/details/?eventId=d6cd6c1a-5ea1-e611-9519-2c768a4e1b84#.WKtpL5E8Kf0
Thank you again!!!! xxxooo
Organizer
Amanda Flores
Organizer
Silver Spring, MD
