Tag: ability

A Work In Progress

A Work In Progress

Taking Action During “Construction”

 

 

We are all a work in progress. That’s life, right? We all have those moments where you feel you are working on something in your life. Your health, a career, or relationships, you name it.

But what do you do in these moments? How do you continue to grow and better yourself during the construction?

It all starts within you. We begin by working on ourselves.

Right now, while I would rather be working out, being with my horses, and hiking, I can barely walk around my house due to having to use a test socket that is uncomfortable and rubbing me raw. And during this time, I am feeling miserable! I was trying to kick start my health since surgery but have hit moments where I need to work on patience, and heal. Now I feel so far removed from being in shape and that takes a toll on my mental game. Now that I’m in this situation I cannot get to my horses because it’s too hard to walk on normal surfaces, imagine walking across uneven ground of rock, sand and dirt.

 

 

This is my time to focus on my thoughts and heart. This is a time I am put into a slow down phase and being led to work on what I can.

 

How do we go about working on ourselves? We start with seeing the good in the world, seeing the good in our situation and finding joy in the moment despite your circumstances. Next we can assume the best, meaning when we assume the best in a person we can control our emotions much better which leads us to less anger and frustration and more joy. Finally, we must act!

 

 

 

This week we must ACT! Not when we feel it or when joyfulness is in us, but rather right now! Maybe you are struggling or hurting right now. This is the time to look outside of yourself and your situation and reach out to another human, your neighbor, to spread joy and positivity.

Maybe you check in on a neighbor, share a conversation and a smile.

Take care of your support system around you: your spouse, family member, a friend. Let them know you care and are grateful for all they have done for you.

Maybe you see someone struggling in a parking lot, getting groceries in their car. Spend time spreading love and helpfulness by giving them a hand.

It doesn’t take money or a lot of time, it just takes your attention and to show someone, “Hey, I see you. Thank you for all you do. Let me help you”.

 

Whatever you do, do in love, with patience, kindness, and selflessly.

When we give of ourselves, we share love, we show our humanity, and we spread goodness into the world. The world could use that right about now.

Imagine if everyone looked inward and made changes on themselves. Imagine the kind of world we would live in with that kind of kindness being spread!

Wouldn’t that be something!

So, Dear Warriors, what are you going to do while you are under construction this week?

How can you make a difference in spite of your circumstances?

When you focus on others you take the focus off of yourself and it allows you to get out of your own head and release what has been holding you back in your “construction time” and place it elsewhere. What you will see is that your life will be enriched and fuller. Your joy will overflow when you bring joy to others.

Try it and get back to me! Let me know how it’s going.

I’m rooting for you, Warriors! You are strong.  You are special. You are loved!

Have a blessed week ahead, and as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

Much love,

 

 

 

 

 

Starting Over and Facing Fears

Starting Over and Facing Fears

Life after Revision Surgery for an Amputee

 

 

I must have been crazy, right? To CHOOSE to revise my amputation! To go from being uber active to starting over?!?!

Golfing on Kauai

 

Having fun catching waves

 

At the beginning of this interview process, to be eligible for the AMI procedure, I was very interested in the idea of being a part of something so “cutting edge” (pun intended) and chose to continue through the several interview steps to see if I was even eligible.

When it came down to having to go out to Boston for a face to face interview I knew that it was getting very real and that the decision to have it done was going to be all mine. That’s when I started to second guess myself and the reason why I would want to go through that again.

Decisions need to be made, but with a good, clear reason and with no doubts. I couldn’t do something like that again, and have my family be put out because of it… and what if? What if I was as good as I could get? What if I feel more phantom pains? What if, this time I get an infection and start down a harder road than ever before?

I will tell you that I never put those questions in my head or spoke of them before the surgery, but the reality is, those are the concerns that hide in the dark, when you are anxious, vulnerable, weak. These are the doubts that create fear, and then stop us from charging forward and achieving greatness.

Needless to say, my CT scan showed something that had to be dealt with that had nothing to do with the AMI and everything to do with the pains I had been dealing with for 6 years! THAT was what made my decision one I was at peace with. Now here I am 3 weeks post-op.

Starting PT the day after surgery and having those flooding pains upon walking

 

My biggest support and the guy who has always had my back! <3

 

Back at the hotel and trying to rest

 

Fear is such a disabling emotion. It stops us from trying new things, meeting new people, and reaching our goals.

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live a life where I’m not reaching out and living a full and amazing life because fear holds me back.

What fears are stopping you? What goals are you not hitting because you worry about the “What ifs”?

 

 

This week and each day in it I want you to face a fear!

It doesn’t have to be huge, like jumping from a plane, but what’s holding you back from living a full and happy life?

What scares you?

What goals have you been sitting on because something keeps you from achieving them, that YOU control?

Let’s face those fears together and start living!

You are a warrior, you need to believe it and know you have that within you!

You are strong, powerful, and capable!

Now get out there and SLAY YOUR FEARS!!!!

F-ace

E-verything

A-nd

R-ise

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

 

 

Choosing the Hard Road

Choosing the Hard Road

Starting Over Isn’t Easy

 

Who would choose to take a harder road, isn’t life hard enough?

And who would decide to start over after working hard to be high functioning?

What would possess someone to put that sort of challenge in front of them?

Last October I was approached by Dr. Carty’s office, in Boston, if I was interested in doing a study with them. I decided to learn more and had an hour long phone interview with his assistant. This interview led to a second interview with Dr. Carty himself, which inevitably led to a final face-to-face appointment with Dr. Carty, and a decision had to be made.

 

Dr. Matthew Carty

 

Ironically, before having the initial interview I was doing just fine where I was. Yes, I had pains, but I thought they were pretty normal and unavoidable for an amputee. However, from October to January I started having more pains and some really strong break through pains, finally ending with a huge blister on the end of my residual limb. That’s what led to my prosthetist making me a new socket.

My thoughts were leaning more towards doing this study, which entailed reopening my original amputation and having some reconstruction done. I knew something wasn’t totally right in my limb so I asked to be checked for a possible neuroma when I went in for my face-to-face appointment. If something showed up then I was ready to have the surgery, and sure enough we found something….

There was a foreign object hanging out of my femur with a bursa surrounding it!!! I was stunned and decided right there that I was going through with this surgery.

 

Post surgery walk with PT

 

It seems pretty obvious to have a surgery, but the fact is, it was a big decision.

This not only affects me but also my family.

It also sets me back several months and begins the process again as if I am a new amputee. That is quite the undertaking, for a second time, and I’m not getting any younger.

So why?

Released from the hospital-the smile says it all!

 

My belief is that we can learn so much about ourselves when we face adversity. We also grow so much more when we are up against hard times. Since becoming an amputee back in 2018 I have met some amazing people, found a deeper and more meaningful purpose in helping people, started this podcast and created a women’s chat group. My life became richer and changed me, and I saw what I was meant to do in this life. With this mindset I couldn’t help but see God’s hand in this setup this time around and I truly am sitting here ready to accept the challenge, grow stronger and spiritually deeper, and accept what is to come, knowing that there is a greater plan for me than I could ever imagine. I wait excitedly for who will come into my life and how this new path will mold and change me.

 

Life on one leg again… this will be at least an 8 week lifestyle.

 

I accept this challenge with the hopes of becoming a better person and gain more experiences to help others.

This is why I chose a harder path, the path that includes pain, setbacks, change and uncertainty.

I believe that growth happens when we step out of our comfort zone and take chances.

I believe God has a plan that is far greater than I could ever create or imagine.

I choose to believe that I am a warrior, ready for the fight and ready to rise up again, stronger and even better than before.

How about you? Are you ready to accept the challenge that is in front of you?

 

Are you in a place that you have a setback? Are you struggling to find the motivation to rise up and unleash the warrior within you?

This week I want you to focus on 2 things:

Your nighttime and morning rituals.

If you are like me you probably check your phone before bed and also when you get up in the morning. I am going to challenge both you and I to adjust this.

At night before you fall asleep look at your calendar for tomorrow. See what’s on your schedule and then what you want to accomplish, whether it is running errands or reading a book. Visualizing completing your goals for tomorrow. Now get some good rest.

As you wake in the morning, don’t reach for that phone until you’ve done two things: taken several long, deep breathes and then run through your goals and visualizing how you’ll get them done.

Make this a daily practice and begin chasing your mindset to accomplishing everything you want to accomplish.

I hope this Call to Action helps you begin a new and productive practice that allows you to grow and feel accomplished.

Remember, you were born to do great things and you have a warrior spirit in you, you just need to find that inner strength.

So Rise Up, Warrior, Rise Up!

 

Have a beautiful week,

Know that you are beautifully and wonderfully made,

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much Love,

 

 

 

Real Talk with Dr. Carty

Real Talk with Dr. Carty

AMI Procedure and The Future of Amputations

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital

 

“For 200 years there has been no real difference in amputation; it’s technique and how it’s done.”

Do you know anything in our world that hasn’t evolved in 200 years? No!

This was a statement that Dr. Carty stated today in our conversation and I was in disbelief. How could that be?

With so many engineering marvels happening at an exorbitant rate it is only natural to turn our eyes on the other side of this coin, the surgical procedure.

Prosthetics have evolved and become more advanced than ever before but our residual limbs are the same they have always been, not allowing amputees to truly reap the benefits of these technological advancements, but that is changing.

Dr. Carty with the help of Dr. Hugh Herr at MIT worked together to improve the human body to be a more synergistic with the devices of today and the future.

Dr. Matthew Carty-Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital Reconstructive Plastic Surgeon

 

Dr. Hugh Herr-Bilateral below knee amputee, biophysicist, mechanical engineer, co-director of MIT Media Lab

 

The Agonist/Antagonist Myoneural Interface (AMI) procedure was born out of the ideas of two men who each had something they were searching for to improve functionality of a residual limb and to make it more compatible with the future of prosthetics.

I am excited to share that I will be heading to Boston this weekend to have Dr. Carty perform this procedure on me, as a study candidate, and in hopes to improve my overall functionality. I am truly very excited for this opportunity.

Join us in today’s Real Talk as Dr. Carty goes deep to explain the process of creating, changing, and implementing a new medical procedures, and what exactly the AMI is and what the hopeful outcomes are of a successful surgery.

I am truly honored and  appreciated the time you spent with me to record this episode in the midst of your busy schedule, Dr. Carty, and I look forward to working with you soon. See you win Boston!

Enjoy this deep and impactful interview and be sure to subscribe to my Vlog channel on YouTube @OneLegis Enough-BAW to follow my journey through this amazing experience.

Have an amazing week ahead, Warriors!

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Stressed Out!!

Stressed Out!!

Dealing With Stress to Alleviate Phantom Pain

 

Ahhh, stress!

It wouldn’t be a day or a week without something triggering stress. A bid decision, a deadline, a fight with a friend, or even traffic!

As amputees we also face the uphill battles of healing, socket fittings, sores and painful steps, and phantom pains. Sometimes it feels like we never get a break. It feels like the weight of the world is placed on our shoulders and we can’t come up for air.

What we all need to learn is that every time we feel stressed out we have, in our own power, the ability to change the outcome. We control the narrative and we control how we come out on the other side.

“Mind over Matter” isn’t just a cliche it is truth.

 

 

When we hold in stressors we destroy our immune system, disrupt our nervous system, and create more problems than we need to.

We need to find ways to release negativity and stressors in our life. They will always be there, so instead of letting them take control and reeking havoc on your health you need to find ways to work through them and find a peace in your life.

When we learn to breathe, slow down, relax, and let go of the things we cannot control, then start feeding our mind with positive and affirming words we can begin to heal ourselves and give our bodies a chance to heal.

This week I challenge you.

 

 

Find time to slow down and breathe slowly and deeply through troubles and stressors you are feeling. Realize what you can control and what you cannot. If you can’t control something it’s time to let it go.

Use animals to help you find quiet time and centering. Horses especially are extremely intuitive and can read you from a mile away. If you bring in negative energy or a lot of “baggage” they won’t want to be close to you, and I don’t know about you, but I go see my horses for the kisses and love they pour into me. If I come preoccupied and upset, holding onto something negative, they sense it and walk away from me. I must clear my mind and center/ground myself if I want meaningful interaction with them.

 

Our closeness happens when I let my fears, anxiety, and stressors melt away and I focus on being present with my girl.

Words of affirmation and positivity. Speak them and repeat them as often as you need to about yourself until you have created a positive mindset. If you consistently beat yourself up over little things or become negative about your healing then this is where you need the most work. Our brain is a very powerful tool that believes what we speak into it. Speak only good and positive and watch your circumstances change for the better!

 

 

Finally, have grace upon grace for yourself. You won’t be perfect and you will stumble as you go through life, we all do, the challenge is to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and try again.

You’ve got this and I know you can do it. As you begin to make the changes needed to reduce stressors in your life you will start to notice phantom pains not being your focal point which then makes their grip on you much less.

Don’t give your pain power! Deny them and don’t continue to talk about them. The less time you pay attention to the pains you feel the less likely you are to be consumed and debilitated by them. You deserve better!

You can do this!

Be positive, breathe and focus on the positives! Watch your stress melt away and your phantom pains calm down.

Wishing you a week filled with health and happy thoughts.

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

Much love,

 

 

That’s A Wrap!

That’s A Wrap!

Loss/Limb Difference Awareness Month 2025

 


Garrison Hayes and Eric Gutierrez-Camacho
Colorado State University

John McCollough: MIT
Ophelie Herve: UCLA
Mira Mutnick, Jake Kanetis, and Marty Kilbane
Colorado State University

Dan Levine: MIT

As April comes to a close we say a huge thank you to all of the university students ts who came on to share what they have been working on, in the fields of mechanical and biomedical engineering, robotics, and media arts and sciences. All of these amazing students have a passion for assisting and improving the lives of people in the amputee community with their genius and creative enhancements to prosthetics, sockets, surgical procedures and research.

I cannot thank them all enough for caring so deeply for our community and for working so hard to improve it.

As this month closes out I want to entice you all to subscribe to my channel as next week we begin to explore phantom pain.

I have a professor from Harvard coming on to talk about his study into how the mind works, and how it can be used as a tool to combat phantom pain. Very intriguing conversation and maybe a few cues for us amputees to use to begin taking charge of our bodies without the use of drugs.

Please make sure you stay tuned for future episodes!

hHave a very blessed and wonderful week,

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

much love,

The Future is Now: Part 3 of 5

The Future is Now: Part 3 of 5

Limb Loss Awareness Month

UCLA: Ophelie Herve

 

As we come into our third week of April Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness month I am so excited to have a female voice in the engineering program from UCLA on our podcast today.

Ophelie was  born in France and came with her family here to the United States at an early age. In high school she reflects on watching the news when the Boston Marathon was bombed and she saw peak athletes, within 24 hours, become wheelchair bound. As an athlete, herself, this event created a desire to help and  gave her the direction she needed to jump into engineering and working in prosthetics for her undergraduate and Masters program at SMU.

Ophelie using an exoskeleton that is a power device used to help paralyzed individuals walk.

 

From there she turned her attention to injury prevention, and found interesting research on the female body and the how and when training can sabotage us by putting us at high risk for injury and when we will have a peak performance in the gym.

Using a robotic arm to replicate the knee joint in her studies on injury prevention.

 

This week I wanted to delve into the topic of how the female body is different and how as amputees we need to protect our sound limb for the long haul. We have always been so amazed by the newest prosthetics and bionics to come out into the world, and it is a very competitive field, but without research we don’t have the information to make technology better for the human body

Her research is fascinating and goes deep. We joked about the rabbit holes she went down as she began this research, but it was her unique perspective as a female athlete (and one who has injured herself playing soccer), coupled with her research on our female bodies and cycles that we really dove into some extraordinary conversations about injury prevention, especially for women who are down to one sound limb. As a female amputee, I can tell you that I have thought about this often, and what would life look like if I injured my “good leg”. That has also been a topic many times in my ladies’ chat group.

 

Working out at the right times of the month help protect our sound limb.

 

How we workout, eat, and rest all help play a part in stabilizing our sound limb, and when different cycle changes throughout our lives make a difference in each of those aspects.

This was great to learn about as the world of sports and nutrition tend to clump us in the same  workout and nutrition regiment as our male counterparts, without regards to our different hormones and biological differences.

I hope you enjoy hearing about Ophelie’s cutting edge research and Master’s project as she explains in greater detail some findings and how that will affect us as female amputees and athletes.

Please make sure you give her some love and Like, Share and Subscribe!

We have 2 more weeks of Limb Loss/ Limb Difference Awareness month, which means I have 2 more students who have dedicated their college journey to the betterment of the amputee community. You don’t want to miss this!

Have a beautifully blessed week ahead,

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

 

Hiking with my pups keeps my sound leg strong and health for the long haul.
Keep moving!

 

The Future is Now: Part 1 of 5

The Future is Now: Part 1 of 5

Limb Loss Awareness Month 2025

Colorado State University: MediFlex Prosthetics LLC

 

CSU MediFlex Prosthetics team

 

Here we are again for the month of April and bringing awareness to the Limb Loss/Limb Difference community.

Every year, in the month of April, I shift gears on my podcast and create a theme centered on the amputee community and interview people versus talking from my personal experience.

Each year I have met some amazing people from doctors, to athletes, to innovators and entrepreneurs. This year I am excited to announce the future of our community, students!

Each of the 5 weeks of April I have students, of varying levels of their education, from all across our nation, talking about what they are studying, inventing, building, and perfecting in the prosthetic world. We have undergraduates to PhD students, all of whom are spending their college careers, and life after, making our community a better place by creating the next generation of products meant to allow us to live fuller lives as amputees.

 

Today, I am excited to introduce Garrison Hayes and Eric Gutierrez-Camacho, two of the five student team from Colorado State University, they are the founders of MediFlex Prosthetics LLC and their creation is part of their senior project at CSU.

                 

 

The work they do focuses primarily around 3D printed feet modules for amputees, both above knee and below knee. Their idea, which I will allow them to explain, is a tough, indestructible foot that allows for more energy return to the user.

This could be life changing, not to mention energy saving!

So many of us already struggle with moving around for long periods of time due to fit or phantom pains, but we also deal with exhaustion due to a loss of energy as our foot hits the ground, giving nothing back.

 

Internal carbon fiber skeleton of foot

 

3D printed foot shell that is built in sections for ease of replacing portion that might wear down over time

 

 

Garrison, a lead in the creation of this foot, is also an amputee. He has been able to trial each prototype and give instant feedback from an amputee’s true perspective. A vital component when making a new prosthesis before marketing it.

This team of students has created an LLC to continue building, bettering, and supplying this type of equipment to our amputee community well after their college careers end. Their goal is to make their product quick to get and affordable for everyone.

                               

As they formulated their ideas and worked around getting large 3D printers to create such strong feet with high quality materials they have also been competing in this field with their product and I am excited to say that this past weekend they received an overall 1st place finish at the Murals competition at CSU for their product The Goldilocks Foot.

Way to go,Team!!

 

These students are just one example of the intensely competitive world of biomedical and medical engineering that can be found in our universities around the nation. Each team, each level, building off of other projects, creating all new ideas, and researching the field of prosthesis and a deeper level, all in all, working towards making the life of an amputee as comfortable, balanced, and natural as they once were with the part they are missing.

This month, I want you to make sure to like, share and subscribe to my podcast as we go deeper into the world of engineering for the amputee community and what these inspiring students are bringing to the table.

If you would like to watch the whole interview it can be found on my YouTube channel

The future is NOW!

To find out more about Garrison and Eric’s prosthesis and the work their team is doing by visiting their Video HERE 

You can also ask for more information or ask questions that you may have for their team at: mediflex.co/outlook.com

They are also seeking testers that live near them or can travel, so if you would like to be on the cutting edge of this technology please scan the QR code below and fill out their form to join their testing program.

 

 

Thank you again, Garrison and Eric for reaching out and allowing me an hour of your day. As an amputee, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring, creating, and dreaming about a better future for all of us. You are all so inspiring! Keep doing what you’re doing and let’s chat again as you continue to grow and enhance your product.

I hope you all enjoyed hearing, first hand, what our college students are inspiring to do for the greater good of the amputee community.

Continue to listen in this week as I bring on students from east coast to west coast and undergraduates to PhD students. Their stories are inspiring and their drive to do good in our world needs to be shared. These students are our future, and the future is looking bright!

Have a beautifully blessed week!

And as always and until next time,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

 

Much love,

 

How Did I Get Here?

How Did I Get Here?

Faith and Connections

 

Just the other day I met a lovely woman in a wheelchair. My first instinct was to smile  but then I looked down, only to see that this kindly older lady was missing part of her limb. She was a below knee amputee.

She was being pushed around the store by a younger man, a caretaker, in her wheelchair when she noticed me and my prosthesis.  She asked him to back up and push her towards me to talk about being an amputee.

Her smile showed she was a fighter. She also informed me it has been 2 years since her amputation,  and now she was dealing with cancer. But still she smiled!

I knew that she was someone I wanted to know.

We talked for a bit, I told her we’d love to have her on our women’s chat groups and I made sure she had my name written down before we parted ways. She was struggling with the phantom pains, something I know all too much about. We had that in common and our connection was amazing and immediate.

Before I chose amputation I had been fighting through ten surgeries in 5 years, plus a blood clot, before deciding on amputation.

I had 4 months to wait from the time I scheduled my amputation til the surgery, and in those 4 months I went thru every emotion know to humans. I was a wreck trying to navigate something so surreal and on my own.

That is, until I leaned into my Christian faith. I had met a nice pastor during my time in PT, as he was getting his shoulder injury worked on by my PT on many of the days I was there. We talked, I reflected, then on my birthday (which feel during my wait time) I decided to re-baptize myself at this pastor’s church, which I started going to on Saturday evenings, just a month before. I needed to find connections, I need to find God in all of this mess I called my life.

 

The love of a puppy

 

The love from my horse

 

The love of my family

 

 

What I found, while attending the Saturday evening services, was amazing people who understood and stood with me during this time.

I sat down, on campus, with this pastor and we talked about life in general. Afterwards, when I got back to my car I had a life-altering epiphany, this whole thing, this journey I was on, was God’s plan for me. I now, looking back, could see his fingerprints on it all!

I felt such a burden lifted from me at that point, and I can honestly say, I have never looked back.

I am embracing every high and low for what it’s worth, and I know it is for my own good and all these moments were meant to build me up for something else. My mindset got positive. My view of my future became positive and my fears were muted.

When I connected with this lady the other day, I saw God working again, reminding me why He chose me for this journey. I connected in a way that helped and brought joy to this new friend of mine, and I walked away feeling joyful and fulfilled once again.

Connections; we, as humans, were created for connecting with one another and with the world around us. This gives us hope and joy, it fills us with purpose and passion for our life we are living, despite the circumstances.

 

 

 

This week I want you to give it a try.

If you have been staying at home, or are stuck at home find a way to get out.

If you can’t get out then find another way to connect with people. Find a virtual chat room, like the one I have each Wednesday, or call a friend or family member. Reach outside of your own life and find out about someone else’s.

When we connect either physically or verbally with someone else we gain perspective and can step back from what is disabling us.

It’s never going to be a good outcome if you are at home only thinking about your own problems and issues. That is isolating and can destroy you, mentally and physically.  You need to branch out and see that you are not alone in suffering or struggles, we all have them, day to day and even from hour to hour.

Staying secluded isn’t helpful and is hard to lift yourself out of, we aren’t meant to go it alone. Humans were built for connection.

This week make some real connections with others and watch your perspective change and watch your struggles lessen, even if only for those moments you are with someone.

Listen to someone and what they are going through. No need to give advice, sometimes we just need to feel heard.

And remember, everyone is going through something, and each moment is meant to build you up and strengthen you for what’s to come.

Are you preparing for your future successes?

Are you strengthening your resolve and character?

You were built with a warrior inside of you, we each were. It’s time to let that warrior out and fight for the life you want, the life you crave. Don’t allow yourself to be fooled that it won’t get better, your mindset matters, and you WILL find the strength needed to achieve your goals.

You are a Warrior! Believe it!

Have a blessed week ahead, and until next time,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!

Much love,