Thursday, May 27, 2010

Harry Shaw in the News!

Want to see some more footage of Harry Shaw? The check out the clips below! More footage coming soon....here's a little sneak peek!

Channel 2:



http://www.click2houston.com/video/23687676/

Channel 39:


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

He did it!

After spending the last 27 years in a wheelchair, Harry Shaw took his first steps yesterday afternoon and KHOU was there to capture it on camera!

Watch as Harry takes his first steps on his new state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs made by our very own, Ben Falls:




Harry has made unbelievable progress in the last 48 hours, and we will be sure to keep you updated as he continues on this incredible journey!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Harry Shaw is back on his feet after 27 years wheelchair-bound!



The past few weeks you may have heard some chatter about a man by the name of “Harry Shaw” around the office—for those of you who haven’t heard about Mr. Shaw, let me tell you.



At the young age of 21, Mr. Shaw lost both of his legs during the Grenada invasion. Although his life was spared, he has spent the last 27 years of his life in a wheelchair, as he was not previously viewed as a prosthetic candidate and came to accept the fact that he would never walk again.
Well guess what? Today that all changes!



Earlier this month, Mr. Shaw traveled from Port Aransas, Texas to Houston in hopes of jumping alongside fellow veterans at the Airborne Amputees event.





The bad news? After traveling to Houston, Mr. Shaw was unable to jump due to the length of his residual limbs and lack of prosthetics.





The good news? He had the opportunity to meet our very own Ben Falls, who felt confident that he could fit Mr. Shaw with a full set of prostheses, allowing him to walk again.



Fast forward to today….and Mr. Shaw is back in Houston ready to be fit with his new prosthetics! Mr. Shaw spent yesterday with Ben and Robin up North, where he began the process of receiving new prosthetics, and will be back again today where Ben anticipates to have him up and walking by this afternoon—that means Mr. Shaw will be taking his FIRST STEPS IN 27 YEARS! Can you believe it?



Mr. Shaw will be at TAPC until tomorrow afternoon, before he returns back to his life in Port Aransas where he will continue his journey of learning to walk again on his own two feet.





The things he looks forward to most? Walking his daughters down the aisle, being able to get groceries of the high shelf without asking for help, wearing cowboy boots (like a true Texan!), dancing with his wife with whom he’s never danced before….and I’m sure jumping at next year’s Airborne Amputee Event, which is responsible for making this all possible!




.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Limbs of Love Visits Great Day Houston



Want to start your day off right? Then tune into channel 11 and watch Great Day Houston with Debra Duncan—who knows, you may get lucky and see a few familiar faces!

Why you ask? Because in the past month, ten of our employees have served as guests on two different shows!

The first appearance took place just before the Airborne Amputees event, where Alicia, Erin, Jody, Robin, Yolanda, Charlotte, Ramona, Eric, Heather and Neely received their “30 seconds of fame” promoting Limbs of Love and the Airborne Amputee skydive!

The event was such a success that Great Day Houston invited us back for more, this time as a guest on a show honoring our veterans, where Ryan spoke about what we do as a company for the Wounded Warriors who have lost limbs in service to our country. Jody also attended as the founder of Airborne Amputees, sharing her personal experiences.

Although the show was taped today, it will be airing again for Memorial Day and again for a third time for their 4th of July segment—while your enjoying these two holidays off, grab a bowl of cereal, curl up on the couch, and start your morning with Debra Duncan and Limbs of Love!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Wounded Warriors Skydive to Prove that 'life is not over after amputation'



Although cloud cover may have stopped a few of us from jumping at the third annual Airborne Amputee skydive, it didn't stop a group of Wounded Warriors who had traveled from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, to serve as the guests of honor at the event. The Wounded Warriors made their jump the following day, and FOX 26 was there to witness it.

Today, Joe Sansone, founder of Limbs of Love, and Jody Graham, founder of Airborne Amputees, joined Melissa Wilson on the FOX 26 morning show to discuss the Limbs of Love program and it's unique skydiving fundraiser. While many people think we've lost our minds for bringing these American Heroes to Houston to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, it's clear from the clip above that there's nothing they would rather do more.


Monday, May 10, 2010

Students Walk for Limbs of Love


Some parents walked with their children, others cheered on from the sidelines, but they all had one thing in common: they were there to teach their children the value of giving and serving others.



On Saturday, May 8th a group of over 300 children and adults joined together for the G.I.V.E. Walk-a-thon, a joint venture between Sagemont Church and Stuchbery Elementary School. The group walked a three-mile route around Sagemont Church to raise money for Limbs of Love and to provide shoes for children in Kiberia, the largest slum in Africa.


The students ranged from Pre-K through 6th grade and were enthusiastic about raising money for children in need. The students were eager to learn about how prosthesis were made, the causes of amputation, the abilities of amputees, and some even shared stories of people they knew that were amputees. It was amazing to watch children who had already learned the answers to these questions share their new-found knowledge with other children who had just arrived at the event.



As these children left their comfort zones, and became educated on amputation and amputees, they quickly began to understand, and therefore accept the amputee community, realizing that amputees are just everyday people like you and me. One little girl who was proof of this newfound understanding among the group was an extremely shy six-year-old, who was unsure of how to approach the subject of “amputation.” She saw the picture of Limbs of Love recipient Cameron Crowder, who she said looked like one of her friends. After hearing Cameron’s story, the shy little girl quickly opened up, and even donated the dollar her mom gave her to get a treat at the concession stand, in hopes of Limbs of Love helping another girl like Cameron.



Events such as the G.I.V.E. Walk-a-thon are not only a wonderful opportunity to raise money for Limbs of Love, but give us a forum to expose and educate the public on the amputee community. Many thanks to Sagemont Church and Stuchbery Elementary for inviting Limbs of Love to take part in this enriching event!

Monday, May 3, 2010



Sure, we walk, we run; but have you ever heard of skydiving for charity?

We'll that's exactly what TAPC did last weekend at Airborne Amputees to raise money for Limbs of Love and prove that the sky’s the limit following amputation.

The thought of jumping out of a plane 14,000 feet in the air and plummeting to the earth at 120mph didn’t intimidate the over 150 amputees and 17 Wounded Warriors who signed up to jump for the cause.

While this was the third year Limbs of Love hosted the Airborne Amputee Skydive, this year’s event was unlike any they had ever hosted before. Between the barbeque, bands, moonwalks, P.T. Rehab Games, miniature horse rides, and even an Oreo cookie Dunk-off, the 130-acre airpark was transformed into a festival with fun to be had by all. “The primary purpose of the event is to allow amputees to prove to themselves and to the world once and for all that the sky is the limit following amputation,” said founder Joe Sansone.

The Wounded Warriors arrived at the venue enveloped by over a multitude of escorts stretching out for almost a mile that included motorcyclists, law enforcement and fire departments from around Texas, all organized by the Brazoria County Cavalry, to serve as the guests of honor. The military heroes, who had made the extreme sacrifice in losing limbs defending our country, were truly an inspiration to the estimated crowd of over 600 as they received several standing ovations throughout the day.

The event not only provided the experience of a lifetime for the Wounded Warriors as well other amputees, but also served as an exciting way to raise money for Limbs of Love, a charity that provides artificial limbs to amputees that cannot otherwise afford them. Two amputees including Aaron Acosta, who lost all four of his limbs after coming in contact with a live power wire, will receive prosthetics from Limbs of Love as a result of the event.

Unfortunately, due to overcast weather, the group was unable to jump on Saturday, but many of the amputees in attendance, including the 17 Wounded Warriors, returned on Sunday to make their jump to prove that life is not over after amputation. And from the look on the spectators’ faces as dozens of amputees touched down on the ground, the perception of abilities of amputees made a huge leap forward.