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!

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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!

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.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Airborne Amputees moved to 5/1/10

I'm sad to report that the 3rd annual Airborne Amputee skydive hosted by Limbs of Love was postponed due to inclement weather....however; the good news is the event has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 1st and according to the weather man it's going to be a BEAUTIFUL day!

It was a tough decision on whether or not we should put the brakes on all of our hard work, however we are extremely grateful to have an incredible team of volunteers, sponsors and vendors who have altered their plans to ensure the event is everything it was going to be (and more!) on May 1st!

We have an amazing day in store for our Wounded Warriors and the amputee community, and we hope you can all join us for a day full of music, friends, food and fun as over 150 amputees leap out of a plane at 16,000 feet to prove that life goes on after amputation!

Need more information on the event? Check out http://www.airborneamputee.com/ The event is free of charge so be sure to come enjoy the day with us!

Skydiving is free for amputees and $150 for non-amputees. Sign-up today!

We hope to see you there!

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AMPUTEE SKYDIVE: AIRBORNE AMPUTEES 2010

I hope everyone is ready, because it's time for Airborne Amputees 2010 skydive in Houston, TX sponsored by Amputees in Action! Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, April 17th, you don't want to miss out on this awesome event benefitting Limbs of Love! If you were not able to make it in years past, be sure to check out our website Airborne Amputees and view the video below.

2009 Airborne Amputees

For more information contact Margaret Bonham at mbonham@tmcortho.com or 713-669-1800