Don’t Miss Airborne Amputees 2010!

The 3rd annual Airborne Amputee Skydive is quickly approaching and it is an event that you don't want to miss! The event is open to the entire community and we have some great things in store!

AIRBORNE AMPUTEE EVENT SCHEDULE

APRIL 17, 2010

9:00 AM: Opening Ceremonies

9:00 AM: DJ Mike Kuvet, Hi Fidelity Mobile DJ Service

10:00 AM: Amputee celebrity speaker Todd Huston

10:30 AM: Wounded Warriors Jump

10:30 AM: Blue's Brothers Tribute Band

11:00 AM: Commemorative Air Force Flyover

12:00 PM: Lunch provided by In-Laws and Outlaws Barbeque

12:30 PM: Rehab Games

1:00 PM: Live music by "The Keepers"

1:30 PM: DARS Oreo Cookie Dunk-Off

5:00 PM: Thanks, see you next year!

Be sure to check out the Airborne Amputee website for more information (and to enter to win a 47" Plasma HDTV!)

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NEW LOCATION OPENING IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON!

Come visit us at our new location in Southwest Houston! We are especially excited about this location because it is truly the orthotic and prosthetic office of the future. Its features include a scanning room utilizing laser CAD/CAM technology, which eliminates the need for casting and gives patients a more precise fit allowing our practitioners to better care for our patients.

The facility is designed to provide our patients with a pleasurable experience from the moment they walk through the door. The waiting room looks more like a local coffee house than a medical office, complete with two large screen TVs, a lounge area and a coffee bar, allowing patients to relax as they wait for their appointments. Patients will then be seen in a comfortable living room style setting to review their orthotic and prosthetic options.

The office not only offers comfort, but convenience. The entire facility is wired for Wi-Fi and is entirely paperless--meaning no more forms!

A special thanks goes to all those employees that helped us move, your devotion is greatly appreciated!

Joe is going to Haiti!

On Saturday, February 27th our very own Joe Sansone will be traveling to Haiti to make preparations for the early summer, when he will again return to Haiti with a team of TAPC prosthetists to fit limbs on amputee earthquake victims.

Although Limbs of Love primarily works with amputees in need across Texas and the U.S., it is time for us to broaden our horizons and reach out to those that need us most.

With the number of amputees growing by the day, and little to no prosthetic care available, the future looks grim for the new generation of amputees created by the recent earthquake. TMC and Limbs of Love are committed to giving a few of these survivors a new lease on life and a chance for a brighter future.

This week, the Houston Business Journal featured a front page story on our efforts in Haiti. We should all be proud to be part of an organization that changes so many lives for the better.

Special deliveries to Haiti (Ford Gunter, Houston Business Journal)

While Haiti continues to receive countless donations of money and man-hours from corporations and individuals, two Houston companies are contributing something quite unique.
Air Liquide USA LLC, the American wing of Paris-based Air Liquide SA, has assembled and mobilized two portable filling systems for medical oxygen, a critical necessity in short supply in the earthquake-ravaged nation.
TMC Orthopedic LLC, the largest orthopedic company in Texas, is organizing an effort to provide prosthetic limbs for thousands of amputees. Read more....

Limbs of Love Patients Revisted--TONIGHT on CH.45 @ 10PM

During the Thanksgiving Holidays, Univision documented the lives of three amputees, who, despite missing their limbs, were grateful for the lives they had been blessed with. We watched these three amputees struggle performing simple daily activities that most people take for granted due to the lack of or ill-fitting prosthetic devices.








Tonight and tomorrow at 10:00pm, Univision will be revisiting these three amputees’ stories, showing how their lives have been changed for the better through the donation of prosthetic devices from Limbs of Love.

Wounded Warriors Guest of Honor at 3rd Annual Amputee Skydive

I just returned from a visit at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical base in San Antonio where I went to invite the Wounded Warriors that had lost their limbs in their service to our country to be the guests of honor at the 3rd Annual Airborne Amputee Jump.

Upon arriving there was a group of 15 or so Wounded Warrior amputees participating in a game of sitting volleyball—a sport played just like the standing game except for a lower net, smaller court and sitting players. Just watching these guys play this game was a true testament to the spirit and fortitude of our Wounded Warriors.

As I approached the group of young men, primarily in their early 20s, I noticed that they were all missing limbs—some missing one leg, some missing both, and others missing an arm. After a few moments in their presence, surrounded by competitive jeers and trash talking, I quickly forgot that these athletes were amputees or even Wounded Warriors. They were just a group of competitive guys playing a so called “meaningless” game of volleyball. I couldn’t imagine a different atmosphere in the locker room at half time during a NFL Super Bowl Game.

These guys have given their limbs for our country and they will be forced to live the rest of their lives as an amputee. But you’d never know it in their attitude. It is fitting that we do what we can to ease their pain and aid in their rehabilitation. Entertaining them and allowing them to go out of town with their families will be a well deserved break for them. Jumping our of an airplane will allow these guys to make a statement to the world that life as an amputee is OK and they are capable of doing incredible feats.


I am invigorated after watching these guys. The hard work that you put into the upcoming months with likely affect these American heroes for the rest of their lives—some will leave with unforgettable memories and for others, it will be a truly life-changing event that will give them the confidence to live the life they always dreamed of, despite the cards they have been dealt. It is an honor to have these young men join us for this event, and I want to thank you again for helping Limbs of Love give back to those that have sacrificed so much for all of us.

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For more information on Airborne Amputees, please visit http://www.airborneamputee.com/ or email mbonham@tmcortho.com

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Limbs of Love to provide care to Haiti earthquake victims

In the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake, TAPC and Limbs of Love are reaching out to the over 200,000 earthquake victims who have suffered the loss of a limb in this tragedy. We are busy gathering hundreds of prosthetic components and planning a mission trip to fit those in need with limbs in the upcoming months. For those of you who missed the news coverage last week, be sure to check out the stories below:

The Spring Observer

ABC

KHOU


ABC



FOX

HOUSTON COMPANY TO PROVIDE PROSHTETIC CARE TO HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

In the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake, the Amputee & Prosthetic Center (TAPC) in Houston, TX is reaching out to earthquake victims who have suffered the loss of a limb in this tragedy. The Houston company and the charity Limbs of Love are sending hundreds of prosthetic components and supplies as well as volunteering its prosthetic professionals to fit limbs on Haitian amputees in the upcoming months.

Unfortunately, due to the circumstances and lack of immediate aid, medical care has returned to that of the Civil War era. The large volume of crush injuries and fractures are oftentimes accompanied by open wounds. Lacking medical supplies and antibiotics, medical teams are forced to resort to 19th century medicine, leaving their patients with an unfortunate choice—amputation or death.

In a developing country such as Haiti, survival is difficult, and even more so for amputees. The Amputee & Prosthetic Center is committed to providing ongoing prosthetic care to amputees in hopes of giving victims a second chance.

To make donations to help provide limbs to Haitian amputees, please visit our website at http://www.myamputee.com/ or http://www.limbsoflove.com/