Lend a helping hand…or leg.

When I think about the word help, I remember the times I've fallen and yelled for my husband to peel me up off of the floor. Help has become something I need often, no matter how stubborn I can be at times. In the US alone, there are nearly 2 million amputees. 2 million people who have faced or are facing the same challenges both physical and emotional that I am currently facing. Thinking back to my first time leaving the house post amputation, when a visit to target brought me face to face with another amputee also missing the same leg. I'm not sure I will ever forget how I instantly felt less alone in that moment. I was so overwhelmed I couldn't form any words. My status as an amputee was as fresh as my phantom pain and I needed help in ways that my family alone could not provide.  I've come to learn a few ways I find help for myself and am able to offer it to others.

Join an online community

Before my amputation, I had never reached out to a stranger online. My desperation for answers on how to deal with pain was enough for me to give it a shot. Since then, I have made several friends online and even joined a facebook group where no topic related to what we are dealing with is off the table. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of talking to other amputees. I have been able to get answers to questions my doctors and prosthetist couldn't help with. I am so grateful for all the help I have received from people I have never met and I always try to share the wealth of knowledge they have helped me gained over the last 8 months.


Participate in research studies

Once upon a time not so long ago... prosthetics were just wooden pegs. Patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma were given a death sentence and the initial limb salvage surgery that gave me 5 more years with my leg didn't exist. The victims of the Boston marathon bombings and their extensive injuries sparked an advancement in the technology being used at the time for prosthetics and they still have so far to go. The Amputee Coalition offers several paid and unpaid research opportunities for amputees and prosthetics wearers to participate in. This much needed research may help us and future amputees live a bit more comfortably, and give us more mobility opportunities than we currently have. Bone sarcomas are so rare, there is currently no truly effective treatment being offered aside from surgical removal of the bone which often leads to recurrence and in many cases amputation. I happily offered my right leg up for research at my pre-op appointment and it felt good to know that it may help someone someday.  I am proud to be part of a group that speaks up to raise awareness about this disease and is a support system for those currently battling it.

If you yourself are needing support, please reach out to me. There is strength in numbers. You are not as alone as you are feeling and there are others out there ready to welcome you with an open heart.