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#WeThrive Testimonials Celebrate the Strength of Our Community

At the Amputee Coalition, we love to tell people how special April is because it’s Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month.

Even more than that, though, we like hearing you say it.

And you have had a lot to say this month. We have particularly enjoyed the testimonial videos that members of the limb loss and limb difference community have submitted. We have received more than two dozen of them in which you share your stories and discuss why LLLDAM is so important to you.

Here is a sampling:

“I always say life over limb because losing my limb has and never will hold me back from doing anything I want in life,” Peyton said. “I love my nub and who I am because of my nub. It has opened me up to a whole new world I never would have experienced.”

“Growing up with one hand, I was always definitely viewed differently from my able-bodied peers, but I really thought sports was a place where I could showcase that, despite my missing hand, I could be just like everyone else,” said Dani Aravich, a Team USA Nordic skier and two-time Paralympian. “And I wanted to celebrate this month because I think it’s so important to talk about our differences and why we should love them.”

“Este reconocimiento debería ser durante todo el año, ya que no es fácil tomar la decisión de seguir adelante y superar las barreras y obstáculos que se presentan en el camino cada día,” dijo Maria Claudia Cruz. “Muchos de nosotros inspiramos a otros a no rendirse, ya que no es fácil tomar la determinación de seguir viviendo sin alguna extremidad. Asimismo, otros nos han inspirado tambien.” (**See English translation below)

“Instead of living in perpetual depression, I found a new passion,” Michael Avon said. “I became a photographer. My artwork, my photography, is more than just taking pictures. It’s a story of overcoming adversity. My life is a testament to the beauty in the simplest, mundane occurrences.”

If you’d like to submit your own video, you still can. Go to our #WeTHRIVE stories page to submit your story. Visit amputee-coalition.org to view all of the inspirational community videos.

Are you connected? Become a community member by joining the Amputee Coalition today!

Have you seen the Amputee Coalition’s new public service announcement campaign? Watch the Inspire to Elevate campaign now.

** “This recognition should be all year because it is not easy to decide to move forward, passing barriers and obstacles that present themselves on the way day by day,” said Maria Claudia Cruz, who submitted her story in Spanish. “Many of us inspire others not to give up because it is not easy to decide to continue living without a limb. Likewise, others have inspired us too.”