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inMotion Magazine

January | February 2023

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

WELCOME TO THE UNITY EDITION
BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER WILL HELP US ACHIEVE

 

John RegisterThe Amputee Coalition welcomes you to 2023 with our UNITY edition of inMotion magazine. What better time than the beginning of a new year to come together to form a stronger whole to achieve our common goals. One way to do that is to look at how far we’ve come. With our community’s help, we at the Coalition achieved quite a lot in the last year. We boasted three major accomplishments in 2022. The largest was a return to our annual conference, where we connected, engaged, and created synergy. Sidelined as our conference paused for the last two years, members got to come together in person. It was a fantastic gathering in Palm Desert, California. The Amputee Coalition believes no amputee should be alone and all should have support and access to live to the fullest. The second major accomplishment was the return of Youth Camp. Even though the numbers were not as robust as they have been in the past, the youth living with limb loss and limb difference had a fantastic time learning, creating new and growing old friendships, and having fun with caring adults dedicated to the mission of the Amputee Coalition and the promise these youth have. Finally, the Administration for Community Living, which provides vital funding for our organization, continues to partner with us and has full confidence in the Coalition’s mission and team.

How has the organization innovated?

The organization has recalibrated how we determine what our mission is and gotten clear on the population we serve and how we can move forward intentionally, improving the quality of life for people of all ages living with limb loss and limb difference. Through our strategically aligned internal work, we have launched programs to engage the community better. The Regional Ambassador initiative is central to ensuring we align coordinated messaging up and down the communication chain. The new Youth Engagement Program (YEP) expands the once-a-year conference mindset to an ongoing conversation. YEP focuses on areas of opportunity to engage our youth through life-skills resources, workforce development and mentorship, education, training, and more. With our new AC Connect platform, the amputee and limb loss community will be able to talk among themselves and sign up for programs and other opportunities at one portal site. This will expand our reach greatly to continue our missional work.

What are the Amputee Coalition’s goals?

The Coalition’s mission is to reach out to and empower people affected by limb loss to achieve their full potential through education, support, and advocacy, and to promote limb loss prevention. For us, that is the key area of impact: the people. The goal of the Amputee Coalition in 2023 is 210 X the number of amputees and people living with limb loss who are in our database. We’re also focused on lowering our dependency upon grants by expanding our supporters, corporate allies, individual donors, and overall Amputee Coalition resource development scope to make more impact. The Amputee Coalition is developing a CEO roundtable to assist us strategically in identifying external resources aligned with the mission to grow our revenue.

How can the LL/LD community support and get involved?

Members of our limb loss and limb difference community can ensure you are a frequent visitor to the website, which serves as a depth of knowledge centered on giving our community a greater quality of life through resources, tools, and opportunities to connect and convene in person. In the coming weeks, we will have a portal for you to register. All our educational, advocacy, and prevention activities are posted there. I also encourage you to elevate this community by getting involved and sending everyone to the website that can use these resources as well. The amazing Amputee Coalition staff would love to support engaging as many people in our community as possible because we know there are more than 2.7 million people living with limb loss and limb difference. This is exactly where you all come in. Help us reach more people by activating your voice.

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IN THIS ISSUE

YOUR WELL-BEING: Facts about emotional recovery.

Facts about emotional recovery. The process is ongoing, and it is difficult to predict. Losing a limb is life changing. This process affects nearly every aspect of life, from work and play to friends and family.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS: Coalition’s goal is to provide solutions.

With a new congressional session beginning, now is the time for a new call to action. Yes, this is YOUR call to action. Raising awareness about the challenges facing the limb loss and limb difference community requires UNITY in message; it requires us all to show up and share our stories, to weave the tapestry, and to reveal the full picture.

THE NEXT GENERATION: YEP, our Youth Engagement Program.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, esprit de corps is “the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group.” In other words, the strength and force that come from a shared concept or burden. The essence of a community. A simple example would be you and your friends shouting together in a gym: the shared burden of not having to do it by yourself or deal with the consequences alone.

Unlocking a Full Life Post Amputation with Core Strength

Helping clients change their lives as a personal trainer and lifestyle fitness coach, it wasn’t until Cindy Asch-Martin became a below-knee amputee that she would gain the experience to help her new community overcome its unique challenges. Unable to comfortably wear a socket and searching for a solution, Cindy boldly traveled from her home in Washington to Australia for osseointegration surgery in 2019, becoming an above-knee amputee in the process.